A Christmas Carol (Old Vic Theatre, London) by Charles Dickens—a new version by Jack Thorne @oldvictheatre #ovchristmascarol

I’ve been a fan of Rhys Ifans since the days of “Notting Hill”.  As the irreverent, high-strung, barely-hanging-on character in a number of brit imports and a lunatic soccer player subbing as an NFL kicker in “The Replacements”, Mr. Ifans can be a visual version of electric shock therapy.  Imagine my delight at finding, in him, a Scrooge whom I could love.  Mr. Ifans’ performance encompassed a range that left me breathless.  His Scrooge was emotive and raw, subtle and sweet, taut and transformative.  The beauty of his performance was most evident in the fact that his Scrooge continually elicited emotion and empathy.  Even at his character’s vilest, you wanted to reach out and say, “I understand”.

In this ‘Carol’ Jack Thorne gives us the proverbial ‘peek behind the curtain’.  Small snippets of Scrooge’s early life and relationships give heft and causation to the traits which will come to define him.  The classic is there, enhanced in a soft and, ultimately, very meaningful way.  This Scrooge makes all of the same stupid and wrong-headed mistakes, but it is more than a love of money which drives him.  It is more than sheer meanness which leads to his life of loneliness, in which he is stingy, even with himself.  In another twist, this softly lit Carol is a semi-musical in which the singing, playing and glorious bells give the production the lush beauty and richness of a fever dream.

Rob Howell’s extraordinarily simple set and the runway style stage are perfection, as are the period costumes.  To transport you further into the period, there are costumed characters handing out real mince pies to audience members prior to the show’s start.

In a stellar cast, Alex Gaumond playing both Scrooge’s father and Marley is a stand out; as are the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Myra McFadyen and Present, Golda Rosheuvel.

It is my fervent hope that this production is reprised yearly, giving me further opportunities to leave the beautiful Old Vic saying, “God bless us everyone”!