Ebenezer Scrooge would have loved 2020. With cinemas, theatres, restaurants, and the rest of the hospitality industry closed for most of the year, there have been precious few things left to do other than work or sleep. Or watch Netflix. And while Scrooge might not have approved of the last of those options, he certainly would have approved of the first two on that list – given that he did little else during his miserable life.
So, it’s entirely appropriate that at the end of this most mean fisted of years, Scrooge should make, not just one appearance, but two, in a couple of festive productions of A Christmas Carol.
Andrew Nicol will play the miser in the first version of the play at the Old Vic, while Brian Conley (Hairspray, 9 to 5) will take on the role for the Dominion Theatre’s version of the story. Yet while the former offers a traditional version of the story, the Dominion are promising something much more ‘concert-like’ for their version of the classic tale. To achieve this, the producers of the show have enlisted the incredible London Musical Theatre Orchestra to provide the music.
This new production of A Christmas Carol will have something else to contend with, too. As one of the first shows to take place since the pandemic begun, the new show will be completely socially distanced – which is no mean feat when you’ve got a cast of over 50 performers!
Indeed, with London currently in tier 2 of the government’s three tier pandemic management system, health and safety will be very much the order of the day at the Dominion, with the theatre promising a raft of covid secure measures, including social distanced seating, one way routes within the theatre and hand sanitiser stations.
A Christmas Carol will be at the Dominion Theatre from the 7th of December 2020 until the 2nd of January 2021. More information about the production can be found here.
For information on other great theatre productions in London, please click here.
