A Christmas Carol - Arts Theatre

A Christmas Carol

It just wouldn’t be Christmas without a visit from the ghosts of Christmas’s past, present and future and this year London theatre audiences will get to visit the world created by Charles Dickens once again as Simon Callow takes on the iconic role of Ebenezer Scrooge. This time around the production is headed to the Arts Theatre in the West End and as a result the stage there will be transformed into 19th century London under the direction of Tom Cairns, who also works as designer on the production. It is certain to be a production that stands out amongst the Christmas crowd.

“A Christmas Carol” is no stranger to the West End stage and a version of the Charles Dickens classic tends to appear here year after year. Whilst the Arts Theatre acts as its home in 2011 it was Trafalgar Studios that welcomed it in 2010 under the watch of the Horla Theatre Company. Prior to that it was the Arts Theatre again, with a unique production starring Gareth Hale (“Hale and Pace”) appearing from November 2009. It is a testament to the timeless quality of the text that it keeps on finding an adoring audience.

Few are unaware of the story of the play, with the focus falling on Ebenezer Scrooge, an inhabitant of Victorian-era London, who is famous for being a grumpy, unpleasant human being who forces his employees to work on Christmas Day, all the while uttering his famous phrase “Bah! Humbug!” During the night before Christmas he is visited by three ghosts, including his former business partner Jacob Marley, and by seeing his past present and future he is able to see the error of his ways.

Simon Callow is a well known actor whose work spans the stage and screen and in the West End he has recently been seen in the show “Being Shakespeare” at Trafalgar Studios 1, prior to landing at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe for “Tuesdays at Tescos”. His screen career has seen him portray roles in “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and “Shakespeare in Love”, in addition to playing Charles Dickens in “Doctor Who”.

“A Christmas Carol” is at the Arts Theatre from Saturday 10th December 2011 (previews from Thursday 8th December 2011) to Saturday 14th January 2012.