For the third time in ten years, Derby Theatre is producing A Christmas Carol, described in the programme as a “timeless tale of redemption which captures the true spirit of Christmas”.
The 2024 adaptation is by Mike Kenny, whose work has regularly been performed on the Derby Theatre stage. Shortly after Sarah Brigham took over as artistic director, she asked Kenny to come up with a new version of Homer’s The Odyssey, his 2014 production proving particularly accessible.
Among his other works were a “magical” version of Cinderella in 2015 and a “bonkers but rather good” adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland the following year. So Kenny seemed a good choice to deliver a new version of Charles Dickens’s novella, which is said to be Britain’s favourite secular Christmas story.
He had a tough job to follow Neil Duffield’s previous two adaptations, a “sparking presentation” in 2014 which Brigham directed, and an even better version in 2019 directed by Oliver O’Shea.
Kenny and new director Tom Bellerby have been true to the original story as much as possible, with Scrooge haunted not only by his own childhood experiences but also by his behaviour towards the children he meets. So a six-strong young company is given a prominent role, with one of the team admirably depicting The Ghost of Christmas Past.
Dickens did not specify Tiny Tim’s illness, so Kenny has the boy suffering from a condition that causes breathing difficulties rather than the physical disability he is given in some adaptations.
There are also plenty of traditional songs, with actor-musicians showing their diverse talents throughout. The most appropriate song is “In the Bleak Midwinter”, which brings out the depth of Scrooge’s gloominess and sadness, giving no optimism for his future until he is encouraged to change his ways.
The only similarity between the 2019 show and the current one is that Gareth Williams again takes the lead role. The former Flying Pickets singer is in fine form, although his performance does not quite hit the “superb” heights he reached five years ago. Despite that, he still commendably changes from a penny-pinching wretch into a liberal benefactor.
The other seven cast members play a range of characters with conviction and proficiency. One who does manage to catch the eye is John Holt-Roberts, who is a terrifying ghost of Jacob Marley and later a jolly, affectionate Fezziwig, who is the complete antithesis of Scrooge.
Bellerby is particularly adept at bringing out the harsh conditions of the time, with Bob Cratchit’s family having to make do with a meal which is much too small to satisfy their hunger. Jess Curtis does a clever job with the set, three tall Victorian houses moving around as they depict the cramped, undesirable conditions some of the inhabitants lived in.
Credit must be given to Kenny for producing a version of A Christmas Carol which does not wander too far from Dickens’s source material and went down well with the audience on the night I saw it. It does not quite hit the heights of Derby Theatre’s 2019 version, although it has much to commend it.
Reviewer: Steve Orme