A Christmas Carol, The Old Vic (2024) Review
Written by Franco Milazzo for Theatre and Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
Every Christmas the same holy trinity rolls around: Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, Handel’s Messiah, and (of course) Dicken’s A Christmas Carol. Matthew Warchus’ version of the latter at the Old Vic has become something of a London institution, ever keeping to the same production but with a new face each year as Ebenezer Scrooge.
This time around, the main man is John Simm. His most famous role of recent times was as Sam Tyler who, in Ashes To Ashes, played a cop mysteriously transported into the Seventies but haunted by his life in the present. Here, in turn, Simm’s Scrooge is pulled back and forward through time by the three Ghosts of Christmas as well as his ex-partner Jacob Marley and tortured by visions of a life unlived.
There have been numerous actors in this production before Simm but it seems that Warchus may have found the sweet spot this Christmas. Simm is a very different Scrooge to Christopher Ecclestone last year and 2022 star Owen Teale who both excelled in the scenes set in the present and future but were far less credible as the teenage Ebeneezer. In 2021, Stephen Mangan had bounce and energy to spare but failed to convince as the crotchety financier with, as Dickens described him, “old features” who finally sees the light. Simm is plausible in whatever time frame he is playing and elevates this already brilliant production up another notch.
This immersive in-the-round staging gives us all a chance to see this acting masterclass up close and enjoy the transformation from the miser who derides his employee Bob Cracthitt, his nephew and visiting carollers to a man eager, almost desperate, to make up for his misanthropic ways. Much of the visual magic here is down to Rob Howell’s brilliant set design. As well as the unusual staging, the finale sees fruit and potatoes rain down onto the stage in an unexpected bounty as well as an entire turkey. The best is saved for the ending where the cast and musicians work hard to jerk all the tears and melt any hearts still intact.
The Old Vic’s A Christmas Carol is not just a seasonal treat but one to look forward to every year, all year. With theatre like this packing out the pews, God bless us one and all.
At The Old Vic until 4 January 2025.
★★★★★
