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   Revue: 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens at the Quays Theatre in The Lowry, Salford.
by our theatre critic Paul Lemon I never got into Dickens at school nor years later when I was at University. I always found the books to be dry and dusty and really hard to read. Saying that I love the film versions, especially the old black and white David Lean productions. I also greatly enjoyed the recent BBC adaptation of Bleak House. For me Dickens only comes to life when it is acted out. The same goes for the production I saw tonight. Instead of me struggling with an old book it was right there before me, laid out in glorious sound and light. A towering stage frames the action with staircases on either side. A huge set of central doors keeping opening and closing throughout the production to reveal more and more delights, from a giant bed that comes trundling onstage to a giant video projection of a door knocker that morphs into Jacob Marley's face. At other times we see seascapes with giant ships, a coal mine and best of all, for me, a huge puppet that represented Christmas yet to come, looking every bit like one of the Dementors from Harry Potter. Scrooge even took off a couple of times to soar high above the stage as the spirits show him his past and present. The sound production too deserves a mention. Two of the ghosts are played by actors. They are wearing head mics that have an echo when they speak so their words repeat around the auditorium. They all make thunderous appearances too as the bells strike midnight on each of the three nights of Scrooge's visitations. The cast of ten perform their roles admirably, some of them playing two or three parts throughout the play. They sing on occasion too. Choral sequences frame a few of the scenes and there is a joyous burst of song from Handel's Messiah at the end. There seemed to be a great many children in the audience tonight, school parties for the most part, and they seemed to love it as much as I did. It's a show designed for all the family and even I had to restrain a tear or two by the end as the awful Mr Scrooge blossomed into something wonderful. It's the perfect Christmas show. 10 out of 10. The production by Manchester Library Theatre Company is on until the 8th of January. You can reach the box office on 0843 208 6000 Due to problems with spam only SalfordOnline members can now leave comments. Becoming a member of SalfordOnline only takes a minute, just hit the red Join Us button at the top right hand side of the page to create your Personal account. Got a news story? Need help with publicity for an event in Salford? Send it to newsdesk@salfordonline.com or call the SalfordOnline newsdesk on 0161 789 5377. |
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