★★★★★ A Christmas Carol - A Timely Adaptation to Melt the Coldest Heart

Members of the company for A Christmas Carol, Photography by Johan Persson

Sheffield Theatres' Christmas offering is usually never one to miss, and while in the Lyceum, audiences often have the most festive night out at the annual pantomime, audiences at The Crucible are often treated to something much different. While in 2023 we had a wonderful adaptation of White Christmas, the festive show at the Crucible has recently been far from a festive outing. Last year, we had an adaptation of Little Shop of Horrors, a couple of years prior we had the Olivier Award winning Standing At The Sky's Edge along with She Loves Me in 2021.

This year though, the Crucible treated us to a rendition of the most festive story of all with a Sheffield adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. The classic story of Ebenezer Scrooge finding the joy in life through Christmas has been told and retold in countless forms since its publication in 1843 - most notably by The Muppets in 1992, and Jim Carrey 2009. You might think there's no possible way for an adaptation in 2025 to be memorable, but the creative team behind this production beg to differ.

The magic begins as soon as you enter the auditorium, the set design and staging is delightfully stripped back, reminiscent of those Victorian streets you find tucked in a museums up and down the country. This tamer set design puts an emphasis on the actors and story to immerse you, which the cast manages with aplomb, doing so in some beautifully designed costumes that match any imagination of what Victorians of any and every class would wear.

It was true 360 degree theatre, with singers and ghost appearing ethereally between the audience at points. A particular standout takes place as we see scrooge indoors and hear carol singers making their way around the foyer outside the auditorium, giving a sense of us being in the room with Scrooge. The practical effects and illusions employed by illusion designer John Bullied also help to convey the magic and unreality of the story, but in a grounded but no less intriguing way, especially as the ghost of Marley is introduced in that famous scene.

As mentioned, this play is anchored by a tremendous cast. In the title role of Ebenezer Scrooge, Ian Midlane delivers a Tour De Force of a performance. Midlane embodies the miserly and unfeeling Scrooge to start out with intimidating ease but truly shines as the reformed Scrooge, full of joy, humour and almost childlike wonder, capturing the magic of a human's first enjoyment of Christmas in a way that makes you yearn for that feeling again.

The whole cast truly shines but particular mentions for us also must go to Adam Price's double turn as the effervescent (and later downtrodden) Mr. Fezziwig and a similarly outrageous Ghost of Christmas Present, a role that one usually associates with joy, but Price's Ghost undercuts that with an almost contempt for Scrooge. Mel Lowe was also fantastic in the role of Jack, a role that is utilised as a framing device, ensuring that Dickens' famous prose doesn't get lost and is as much of a main character in this production as it is in the book. This addition also helps the accessibility element for younger viewers, who may have struggled to understand the play otherwise. Nitai Levi shines (in more ways than one) as the ethereal and elusive Ghost of Christmas Past too and a genius choice for us was to cast Ryan O'Donnell as both Bob Cratchitt and a young Ebenezer Scrooge. This allowed a window for us (and Scrooge to an extent) to draw a clear line between the title character's youth and their current employee who they undervalue heavily.

The stripped back nature extends further than just the set too, the whole production is scored not by instruments, but acapella vocals. The entire cast has a telling contribution here, the whole production takes on the form of a literal Christmas Carol because of this. A review of this adaptation cannot avoid mentioning the carols either, one of it's main USPs. Director Elin Schofield, alongside musical supervisor Natalie Pound, expertly incorporates and revives a host of Sheffield Christmas carols through the production in a faithful way. 'Hail Smiling Morn', 'Sweet Chiming Bells' and others are performed as tradition staes, by a community huddled together participating in this bonding tradition.

There's a reason that this story has endured for over 150 years, it's full of magic as we've mentioned countless times, but sadly, it is still as relevant as ever in other ways. In a time where poverty is ever increasing and child poverty is at a record high, the callous references to the "poor house" and scenes featuring those who find themselves destitute hit uncomfortably close to home. The Victorian era always seem monstrous to a modern viewer, with commonplace child labour, dangerous work practices and widespread slum living and disease. It feels like a world away in some respects, yet in haunting images like this, the story could be told today and still feel representative.

A Christmas Carol at Sheffield Theatres is a total and utter triumph. An adaptation from Aisha Khan that feels both faithful and fresh, brought to life brilliantly by Elin Schofield and this wonderful cast. If you're after a brisk evening of Christmas magic, a touching rollercoaster of emotion and a timely reminder of everything life should be about, this show is the perfect opportunity. The production runs until Saturday 10 January, if you can't tell having read this far, we would highly recommend you book your tickets now!