A Christmas Carol By Charles Dickens At The Albany Theatre Coventry Review

Reviewed by Lindsay Burton

My daughter and I thoroughly enjoyed this production of a Christmas Carol at the Albany Theatre in Coventry.

It’s Christmas Eve and Ebenezer Scrooge has not an ounce of festive cheer. When the clock strikes midnight, Scrooge is visited by four ghostly spirits who each whisk him away on a magical journey through his past, present and future hoping to reveal the error of his cold-heart and change his life forever.

Paul Nolan does a smashing job of playing Ebenezer Scrooge. He is definitely one of the shortest Scrooge’s I’ve seen on stage and I was worried that this would take away from Scrooge’s intimidating character but after the first scene, I completely forgot about his height as his interpretation of Scrooge is spot on! All the other cast members play more than one role and they do this so well.

Pushpinder Chani plays Jacob Marley, Peter Cratchit, Tut, Dick Wilkins and the charity gentleman! Joe Darke play Bob Cratchit but also part of the ensemble that narrates the story. Robin Johnson plays Fred, Mr Fezziwig and Tiny Tim. Sam Yetunde plays Mrs Fezziwig, the Ghost of Christmas Present and the charity gentlewoman. Ambulance Sharma plays the Ghost of Christmas Past, Martha Cratchit and the Laundress. Lizzie Wofford plays Mrs Cratchit, Fan, Belle Fezziwig, Clara and the Chairwoman!

Playing all these different roles with immense ease and absolute precision really does highlight the pure talent from this cast. Together with the amazing set design and lighting, it creates a timeless Christmas classic this Winter as it jumps from page to stage brimming with heart-warming merriment and Victorian charm. With lovely Christmas carols being sung here and there, it most definitely filled me with the Christmas Spirt and we left the show, driving home singing Christmas songs all the way. My personal favourite scene was the one with the Ghost of Things yet to come! I always look forward to see how this director interprets and presents this character and director Kevin Show and the Albany Theatre do not disappoint! Hanging from the rafters, this huge ghost’s presence certainly fill the stage! Absolutely fantastic job!

The Albany theatre is a lovely venue that offers all the facilities one could ask for. Bar facilities and a little kiosk which offers treats and hot drinks. My only concern would be the duration of standing in the line waiting to be served. The night was particularly busy and we we were only served after the final call for the end of the interval. We didn’t miss any of the actual second half but we were cutting it very fine. With very affordable parking facilities in a very short walking distance from the venue, it makes it even more inviting!

Rating: Please don’t miss this production – is a lovely family friendly show that will get you and your loved ones ready for the Christmas season and I give it a hearty 4/5.

Tickets can be purchased from https://www.albanytheatre.co.uk/shows/a-christmas-carol/. The runtime for this production is about and hour and 40 minutes including the interval.