A Christmas Carol - 2005/06

Horla Theatre Presents:

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A CHRISTMAS CAROL - 2005/06

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NEW WIMBLEDON STUDIO
6th – 17th December 2005

TRAFALGAR STUDIOS
20th December 2005 – 7th January 2006

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Directed by Alistair Green
Original music by Jonathan Langford and Vanessa Lucas-Smith
Design by Tracy Waller

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CAST
Alison Ward, Andrew Macbean, Carole Carpenter, Chris Courtenay, Dan Smith, Joanna Hickman, Luanna Priestman, Neil Catchick, Olaf Mather, Rebecca Naylor

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“If your deeds come to haunt you, it is time to make amends.”

Following the success of recent Christmas productions, such as the GRIMMS Trilogy and Rumplestiltskin and Other Grizzly Tales, Horla are offering a brand new festive treat comprising a two week run at New Wimbledon Studio, prior to a West-End transfer to Trafalgar Studio 2 for three weeks.

The heart of Ebenezer Scrooge is as cold as ice. Christmas, for the bitter old miser, is not a good enough reason to be jolly. But one Christmas Eve he is visited by the spirit of his late business partner Jacob Marley and three other ghosts...

Charles Dickens' melancholy tale will be told using mime, physical theatre and live music by an ensemble of actor/ musicians. This production will stay true to the original novel, concentrating on the darker aspects of the story and making the embittered Scrooge's redemption all the more joyous and uplifting.

This production of a well-loved classic will be the perfect entertainment for family audiences. “May it haunt their houses pleasantly.”

Suitable for children of 6+ and their brave adults.
 

REVIEWS

“A keen, multi-tasking ensemble of 10 actor-musicians expertly negotiates the compact space of this smallest and newest central London venue. The only props are two clothes rails and a few tables and chairs, yet what a rich imaginative world director Alistair Green conjures up there from …. a tale told simply so as to make its point forcefully … If you are not moved by the redemptive final scene, in which Scrooge procures the prize turkey for the Cratchits, examine your own conscience before the witching hour of December 24.”
EVENING STANDARD
 

“Horla has orchestrated Dickens’s tribute to the transforming power of Christmas successfully enough for the claim of its Tiny Tim, which is that the old tale “will haunt your thoughts pleasantly”, to seem pretty much the truth … there’s energy, commitment and caring in this Christmas Carol — and that’s refreshing.” 
THE TIMES

“The Horla troupe once again provides the perfect Yuletide alternative to pantomime with a surprisingly faithful version of Charles Dickens’s favourite ghost story for Christmas, including excellent original carols and seasonal songs … a talented young cast … this is essentially an ensemble piece, a talent spotters evening, that will chill and cheer in equal measure. The very best of Christmas entertainment.”
THE STAGE
 

" (this production) largely sidesteps emotional sludge ... The show also makes clever use of choral singing from the wings. This isn't in the same league as Patrick Stewart's one-man version of the same story but, when the youthful Scrooge excitedly says: 'I would run home from the office to be with you two minutes sooner' to his childhood sweetheart and when Bob Cratchit solemnly mourns his dead child, it wins us over."
METRO