KarenThis evening we were invited along to The Octagon Theatre in Bolton to watch one of the first performances of A Christmas Carol. Octagon is a gorgeous little theatre where the stage is in the centre of the room, with the audience seated on all sides. I’ve never actually been before so I wasn’t sure how well I’d be able to see everything but I really needn’t have worried.
The Performance
Is there a tale as turbulent yet heartwarming as Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol? In this stage adaptation of a true festive classic, Octagon Theatre brings together performers young and old to create and tell a story which makes the audience laugh, cry and laugh again.
The theatre performance follows the same basic story as the original and we accompany Scrooge through his troubled night, meeting his ghostly visitors and watching him be slowly transformed into the festive aficionado he is at the end of the performance.
Photo Credit : The Other Richard
Marc Small as Scrooge is utterly brilliant and I was fully on board with his character from the off. He plays an excellent part, right down to some of Ebeneezer’s little personality quirks, and is believable from the minute he enters the stage. His comical timing is spot on and he had both myself and my 7 year old chuckling several times.
Each cast member takes on several roles and they make changes to their costumes so swiftly you’ve barely noticed them leaving the stage before they return as a different character. Martina Isibor, for exqmple, played three characters, the guitar and sang too – I honestly couldn’t imagine having to remember to do all of those things within a 90 minute timescale.
Photo Credit : The Other Richard
There wasn’t a single performer who didn’t play a fantastic part and the children were just wonderful in their many portrayals. My seven year old son said he thought the children must be very intelligent because they were only young yet were good actors. It’s always lovely to see talented young children out on the stage, and I think it’s great for children like mine to see what is acheivable through dedication, even from a young age.
Get tickets
I would really recommend A Christmas Carol at Octagon Theatre to visitors young and old. Though the storyline touches on some darker topics such as death and being haunted, the performance isn’t at all scary and I would say it is suitable for anyone who will sit still long enough!
For more details on A Christmas Carol at The Octagon Theatre, have a look at their website where you will be able to book your tickets.
The show is on from now until 13th January so there is sure to be a date to suit you!
My 7 year old was obsessed with the idea that the young actors could be younger than him or his friends – clearly our kids were impressed with their abilities! It was excellent – amd lovely to see you too 🙂
Yes! I’m all for anything that inspires them 🙂