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Whats On Stage - A Christmas Carol Review
by Aline Waites
The Charles Dickens story about greed and the destructive power of money is as appropriate now as it was in the author’s own time. This present day adaptation by Piers Beckley is directed by Ray Shell and between them they have produced something quite astounding. Setting it in Jerusalem gives it even more resonance, delivering a strong message of peace and love that transcends all religious and racial boundaries.
We are in a poor British School in old Jerusalem, and the children, together with members of the multinational community, are performing a production of the play. The back wall of the stage is covered in huge graffiti-style symbols indicating the mixed nature of the population (a Cross, a Swastika, a Jewish star and a crescent moon, a dollar sign, a euro sign etc.) and the acting area is surrounded on three sides by chairs which are moved about throughout to denote scene changes.
The cast rush on noisily, fighting and teasing like school children. They seem like an undisciplined lot, but when occasion demands they are drilled with precision. There are twenty of them, a mixture of seasoned actors and new drama school graduates, and they play some fifty named roles between them. They also punctuate the action with songs and instrumental music and vocally produce all the sound effects. For instance, the door opens with a “swish” and closes with a “slam” and at times they also play furniture helped only by a couple of drapes and the ever present chairs. It is amazing what a little ingenuity and a tiny budget can achieve. Ray Shell and his choreographer Donna King have performed a miracle and their actors do them full justice, giving stunning and honest performances.
There is one actor who stands out from the rest, who carries the play, and this, of course, is Ebenezer Scrooge himself, played by the wonderful Edward Kingham, who took over the role at a week’s notice when the original Scrooge fell ill. He is a consummate actor who can make you laugh and cry in equal measure with just a glance or a tilt of the eyebrow.
The Giant Olive production team have produced something that is riveting. It is moving, harrowing and yet very funny and gives the Christmas message in a clearer fashion than anything else around.
www.whatsonstage.com
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