REVIEW | A Christmas Carol, The RSC

 

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

The Royal Shakespeare Company are bringing their staple stage production of Charles Dickens's novel from sell-out success in 2017 and 2018. The result is startling. The palpable themes of the divide between the poor and the rich are so present in this story that it will tug at your heartstrings. 

It's hard to breathe new life into a well-established story but The RSC manage to execute it perfectly whilst also paying homage to the original text. 

David Edgar has adapted the festive tale of redemption and compassion in a way that keeps us thoroughly entertained and engaged throughout the production. The iconic tale from Dickens is told through the eyes of the author himself, he takes centrefold in directing us through the story and it works so brilliantly. 

The RSC has a very vast and lively stage that makes you feel as though you are part of the action. The strong design from Stephen Brimson Lewis uses this to its extremes. Victorian Britain comes to life and executes a visual delight for the audiences. 

Taking on the leading role is Adrian Edmondson. I have seen many actors take on the role of Ebenezer Scrooge over the years and it is important for them to become established and different from the others. Edmondson's performance is effortless in capturing the different sides of Scrooge's character. From greed to a natural interjection of wit. There's something remarkable about watching Scrooge develop into a kinder man through the story and how Edmondson portrays this is really key to his individuality in transporting us as an audience through that. 

The story is narrated by Gavin Fowler in the role of Charles Dickens, alongside him is his editor Beruce Khan. Collectively they bring bags of energy and an interesting outside perspective to the story as they take themselves in and out of the scenes when Scrooge is visited by the ghost of Christmas past, present and future. Khan and Fowler often transition into different characters in the story to. This integrates and works well into the production. The ghosts bring out different elements of Scrooge's character and the lighting really enhanced those chilling scenes. Sunetra Sarkers's portrayal as the Ghost of Christmas Present is really unique. 

The poor Cratchit family has a huge focus in the story as we see a family who is struggling to make ends meet in order to eat. It's very relevant today and Mitesh Soni is really sensitive to how this could impact audience members. He takes on the role of Bob Cratchit and his portrayal throughout the production is exceptional. We definitely see him grow in strength in the second act and it lights a fire in him that is admirable. 

The transitions between each scene flow naturally from the bustling town to Scrooge's empty home. The transitions were sometimes extravagant and really showed us the exceptional heights the RSC goes to with their productions. The production wouldn't be without a brilliant ensemble to help bring it to life and the RSC's diverse ensemble is no different. The ensemble executes moving the set with them and they don't distract us from what we're supposed to be experiencing in this story. 

There's no doubt about it that A Christmas Carol is a must-see during the festive period. It's an iconic story full of festive cheer and the RSC does it with excellent acting. The set is cleverly lavish and the production becomes musical with choreography and a carol or two. The combination of different theatrical elements creates an unforgettable production of Dickens' story that will be hard to beat. 

A Christmas Carol is performing at The RSC until 1 January 2023.