The Argus 5/12/2008
A Christmas Carol is a story of contrasts: there's the miserly and
benevolent sides to Scrooge, the ways the poor and the rich celebrate
Christmas, the exuberance of youth and the misery of death.
And contrast is at the heart of the Brighton Theatre Collective's
version of the tale, which constantly surprises its audience with
changes in tone and atmosphere, swiftly moving from humour to heartbreak
during its hour-long performance.
Using a minimal set, the nine-strong cast bring the audience squarely
into the centre of the action, performing not only in the centre of the
room but also behind the seats to add a ghostly touch. It is a
masterclass in stagecraft, with simple sound and lighting creating more
atmosphere than special effects trickery could.
When Jacob Marley's ghost visits Scrooge the small auditorium echoes
with chimes and whispered voices. Even the Counting House door is
represented by a tinkling bell and a handful of thrown snow in this
faithful recreation of the story.
Marcus Taylor excels as Scrooge, being good both as penny-pincher and
philanthropist. His relationship with his niece Emily (Samantha Bolter)
suggests a warm heart isn't buried too deeply. In their opening scenes,
he's more like a grumpy old man than an evil misanthrope, making his
later transformation even more believable.
Duncan Hall - The Argus
The Brighton Magazine 5/12/2008
Do you have a Jacob Marley? Is there anyone, waiting, sitting
silently and invisibly next to you, day after day, listening, observing,
waiting for the time to confront you with all that you have done, or
not done, in this life? Could you handle it if they did? Perhaps we need
Marley, and his succession of ghosts, to visit us as a society and show
us what we have done, what we are doing and what we will do as a
terrible consequence of these wasted times of war and greed. Or perhaps,
like I suspect Scrooge did, deep down we know that terrible truth
already.
When the ghost of Christmas Present (in response to Scrooges
indifference to the plight of the poor, claiming them to be too
populous) says: 'Oh god, to hear the insect on the leaf pronounce on the
too much life of his hungry brothers in the dust' it is the finest
indictment of greed and the indifference of the rich to the poor in the
English language.It sums up our responses to Africa, to the Middle East
and to people from the next street who do not 'quite' live up to our
expectations. It is our doom.
Scrooge is essentially a creature of money. And though he hoards his own
money, while our society sets out to spend everyone else's, the turn of
the wheel of finance (to which we are now lashed, thinking ourselves
sailors in a storm when we are, in fact, the oxen who pull and turn the
stones to grind the corn for the rich just like ever) puts us all in the
exact same place.
In the story of a Christmas Carol, Scrooge arrives home on Christmas Eve
to see his doorknocker loom up as the face of his dead partner, Marley,
as we arrive home in time for the news and to watch the starving,
huddled in groups around tents clutching everything they own, staring
back out at us with unseeing eyes.Marley's face is replaced for us by
the face of the starving child, the one with his eyes wide and staring,
his ribs showing, flies crawl as if unobserved across his face, his arms
like little sticks by his sides. But we do nothing, and if we do
anything it is usually not enough; we just go shopping to buy more crap
and then move house to find more storage to put it all in. And this is
why 'A Christmas Carol' is a parable for our times, perhaps more than
any other.
And this is why the decision to put it on this Christmas by the Brighton
Theatre Collective (BTC) at the Old Ship Hotel, Brighton, is to be
applauded for its timing as much as anything else.
Their Scrooge is a weak, quietly spoken miser who has lost his way and,
as he searches for his room in the black night with the tiny stub of a
candle quivering in his hand, we have a physical metaphor for his
ailment; he has lost way in darkness and needs enlightenment. For this
is a story about human redemption and not simply about a greedy man.
BTC know this and under the fine wing of director Alan Perrin (who also
adapted the story for this staged production) they have managed to
exceed all expectations.
In essence it is a fine piece of work that develops the themes of
humanity and the possibilities for human forgiveness and redemption.
Indeed it is never better than when it make observers of us, looking on
at a group scene, a party or a meal. The honesty and integrity of these
scenes reminded me very much of the wonderful wedding scene in the first
half of the film 'The Deer Hunter', as it seemed so genuine, full of
integrity, and so much the product of a director and writer who could
truly see, and not just look at, the lived experience.
It is the aim of BTC to linger not on the 'flick of an ankle here and
there' (so an insider tells me) but to concentrate on the flow of the
story, and again here they succeed. They achieve choreography of
movement in the way that the story is permitted to unfold before our
eyes, but without any sense of self awareness or pretentiousness. One
thinks here of Kerouac's famous scroll version of On the Road, had it
been edited by, say, George Orwell.
Smooth flowing, full of artistry and joy, yet never threatening to burst
its banks - the action is relentless and yet utterly engaging. Not
during the whole hour did I find my attention wavering, not even once.
If one wanted to be picky, the decision to swap Scrooge's nephew for a
niece seemed a rather odd choice, full of pitfalls and not really adding
anything to the play, except for the talents of Samantha Bolter. When
Scrooge sneeringly tells his nephew that he speaks well enough to enter
parliament, he has a point, but when he tells his niece to (as he does
in this adaptation) it would have been impossible, certainly in 1843.
But that's being picky.
The cast were all very good, but I have to single out Sascha Harman,
whose performance as Scrooges fiance was spellbinding.Overall though, it
was the harmony of the cast and set (working in the round which I
loved) and the way they worked and pulled together that gave this show
its edge.
The cosy low ceilings of the Tudor Room, where the show is being
performed, add to the sense of Victorian gloom as the mist rises on a
dark December night. This show is proof of what can be achieved on a low
budget but with a huge effort. Using a refreshing lack of special
effects and an amazing amount of talent and hard work the BTC have
probably produced the best Christmas production that you will see in
Brighton this year.
Engaging, funny and above all human, I found myself lost in world of
shadows one minute and warm-faced by the warm hearth of humanity the
next.
I loved this production and so will you; ditch the soaps and the shops
and get down to the Tudor Rooms at the Old Ship Hotel and get a real
slice of Christmas instead of hanging around Churchill Square buying
crap for other people who don't really want it.
Howard Young - The Brighton Magazine