Christmas Carol Goes Wrong At Aylesbury Waterside Theatre Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Mel Randle
Like everybody else, I took my Christmas decorations down a month ago and the festivities feel like a distant memory now as I look forward to spring, warmer weather and perusing summer holiday brochures. So last night was a pleasant, yet unconventional return to the festive season (much like the Ghost of Christmas Past) as we made our way to Aylesbury Waterside Theatre to watch Christmas Carol Goes Wrong.
Brought to us by Mischief Productions – the team behind the hugely successful The Play That Goes Wrong, Christmas Carol Goes Wrong is a play within a play as the Cornley Amateur Drama Society present their version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. From the audition process to the final rehearsal and then the performance itself, we get a behind the scenes look.
I am making this sound like a docudrama for theatre lovers. No, no, no!! Think Vicar of Dibley, Fawlty Towers, Mr Bean. What we are in fact presented with is two hours of start to finish comic genius. Simple silliness, slapstick, and hilarious dialogue that literally had the audience laughing from start to finish. I don’t think I have ever before sat in a theatre full of adults who laughed like they were a bunch of children watching clowns squirt each other with plastic flower water pistols. It was a delight to see that good old fashioned silly still wins the day.
I don’t really want to go into what happens because I don’t want to give any spoilers. It’s easy to follow and of course we all know the story of Scrooge (where have you been if you don’t) so the plot is an obvious one, but what sets this aside from the umpteen other Christmas Carol adaptations is the delivery by the strong cast which also includes two of the three writers of the show, Henry Lewis and Jonathon Sayer. I wouldn’t want to highlight anyone in particular because I thought they all did an outstanding job and together they made the perfect comedy team! I couldn’t see if there is a recommended age for the show but I think it would be great for the whole family. I went with my 10 year old daughter. There are a couple of ‘naughty’ words, some adult humour that went straight over her head, and some cultural references that meant nothing to her, but the physical comedy had her laughing throughout.
The set and costumes were visually stunning and played a huge role in the comedy, so again I don’t want to give anything away, but this meant that they used every opportunity to add comedic value. The use of effects and props were timed perfectly and us as an audience were brought into the show several times as the audience of Cornley – oh so clever and far less complicated than it sounds!
This was an evening of pure escapism, a chance to just be silly and laugh. I can’t think of a negative thing to say about the show other than it wasn’t long enough. The Play That Goes Wrong is definitely on my list now! So I urge everybody, get the Christmas hats and jumpers out of the loft and get down to Aylesbury Waterside Theatre before this ends. I promise you won’t be disappointed!!
Rating: 5/5
Christmas Carol Goes Wrong is at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre until Saturday 7th February 2026
Ticket prices from £15.00 (transaction fee may apply)
For more information and to book tickets, visit https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/christmas-carol-goes-wrong/aylesbury-waterside-theatre/