Review: A Christmas Carol at the Barn Theatre, Welwyn Garden City

A Christmas Carol is on at the Barn Theatre in Welwyn Garden City (Image: Archant)

I’ve seen three other stage adaptations of this Charles Dickens classic, and this new musical version, by Chris Blackwood and Piers Chater Robinson, is now my favourite.

It’s faithful to the spirit and story line of the original, and the music, expertly directed by Emma Harrison, is delightful – and very well sung by one of the biggest casts I can remember seeing at the Barn.

The programme tells me that there are 38 people on stage for the final curtain!

One of the most impressive things about the production was the skill with which Vikki Myddelton, on her first outing at the Barn as a director, choreographed the movements of all those actors and the complicated set changes, none of which delayed the development of the story by a second.

The costumes were superb and the production technically excellent.

With so many actors it is impossible to name them all here, but I was particularly impressed by the excellent acting and singing skills of Ben Falkiner and Hannah Sayer as Mr and Mrs Fezziwig, and by Will Smith as Bob Cratchit.

Tom Garratt was a charming and confident Tiny Tim. There were some excellent cameo performances too from Tristan Cameron as Young Scrooge, Kara Lee, Simon Parr as Dickens, Andrew Merry as the ghost of Christmas Past, and Ian Colpitts as Jacob Marley.

Scrooge is, of course, the most demanding part of all, and Dick Breeze was equally convincingly as the grumpy old miser at the beginning, and the reformed and generous benefactor at the end.

This really was a very fine performance, highly comic at times but also quite moving as he comes to realise the aridity of the life to which his obsession with money has led him.

This is not a panto, but it’s a good family outing and a show that leaves you full of Christmas cheer.