Review by: Paul Towers, 24 November 2017
Leslie Bricusse’s Scrooge
A Made At Curve production starring Jasper Britton
Curve 18 November 2017 to 7 January 2018
“a magical festive family treat.”
Once again director Nikolai Foster has assembled a talented
team of actors and production staff to create a magical festive family treat, although
with the caveat that maybe under 7’s may find it a little loud and scary.
Scrooge is lyricist/writer Leslie Bricusse’s take on Charles
Dickens’ Christmas Carol. Ebenezer Scrooge is a misanthropic, miserly skinflint
who begrudges the air that others breathe because he can’t monetise it. His
faithful clerk, Bob Cratchit, struggles to feed his family on the parsimonious wages
he gets while also trying to give crippled Tiny Tim the best life he can.
Designer Michael Taylor has created a huge set which flies and
slides to create a myriad of locations in Victorian Dickensian squalor.
Lighting designer Ben Cracknell not only had to ensure that all the stage was
suitably lit but also had to contend with the specialist needs of the magical illusions
created by Scott Penrose and the various pyrotechnic effects needed. To add to
the magic Tom Marshall designed some great sound effects, especially for the ghosts.
Now we come to the cast, for what good are all the special
effects and sets in the world without actors? Jasper Britton as Scrooge makes a
welcome return to Curve after his triumph in What The Butler Saw and as a newly
appointed Curve Board Member. While Jasper has huge acting experience and
capability, singing is not one of his greatest talents. That said he is more
than capable of putting a song across and the part does not call for an operatic
voice. He is superbly supported by a huge cast that has a large presence of Curve Young Company members, many of them
familiar faces from past shows. The main cast also contains several familiar
faces and, of course, the obligatory soap star. In this instance Danny-Boy
Hatchard (apparently from Eastenders).
The show is packed with songs, the best known is probably Thank
You Very Much. As with all Dickens stories there is precious little humour in
the narrative but a huge dose of salutary lessons and moralising. Once again
Dickens spells out the shortcomings of Victorian England; the poverty, the unsanitary
living conditions alongside the pauper’s determination to ‘be grateful for what
we’ve got’.
All in all this is, despite the grim conditions, an
uplifting tale of redemption (Scrooge) and familial stoicism (Cratchit) spliced
together with great songs.
Scrooge is on at Curve until 7 January 2018. While there are
few seats left for matinees, evenings are easier http://www.curveonline.co.uk/
http://ptheatre.blogspot.co.uk/
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