Review: A Christmas Carol at Lyceum Theatre

“…full of festive cheer, whimsical and wonderfully wintery…”

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield

by Sophie Dodworth

Deck the Lyceum with bells and holly, for it’s time to feel festive in Sheffield, with a visit from the wonderful Northern Ballet and their UK tour of A Christmas Carol. The famous ballet company has been here many times before and they never disappoint. If you are not ready for the ‘C’ word and would just like to see some exceptionally talented dancers, performing a classical piece of theatre then come on in…

Delve into the story of three mysterious ghosts, visiting Ebenezer Scrooge during one wintery night, on a mission to inject the true meaning and magic of Christmas into Scrooge. Meeting with the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, witness the enlightenment and transformation of the dull and grumpy man, who many of us met in childhood, whether that be through book or film.

The stage is set with a typical mid 1800s Dickensian London feel, and the set designers have got this down to a tee. It is gloomy, smoggy and poverty stricken; the stage gauze-type screen stays dropped for the first 5 minutes which really helps add to the blurry atmosphere of the era.

The opening scene is a real treat, uplifting and lively, engaging the audience right away with some finely tuned pointe work from a trio of dancers. Within minutes there is a rendition of ‘God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen’ which is rather a shock for the regular ballet attendees, who normally never hear a peep from any of the cast. But it was welcomed and really added to the festivities. This warmed up the vocals and many more musical numbers were sung throughout.

Harris Beattie playing Bob Cratchit gave the first solo and what a solo it was, set at the miserably cold counting house. It was a sprightly few minutes with beautiful dancing lines created, sweet-flowing choreography and Beattie managed to stroke a smile across many of the faces watching him, with his well-posed arms. Saeka Shirai dances the part of the Ghost of Christmas Past seemingly effortlessly, with her jagged, staccato-like choreography. Her costume with twinkling fairy lights is effective and suits the part. In their pas de deux, oozing with romance, George Liang (Young Scrooge) and Dominique Larose (Belle) completely mesmerise the auditorium. With their flawless unison, so engaging and visually pleasing with Larose in a clean white gown, juxtaposed against the murky, glum room works so well. Leading man Jonathan Hanks (Scrooge) doesn’t dance that much but when he does you see why he has the lead role. Charismatic and full of stage presence that any dancer would aspire to possess.

There is an ensemble moment which really needs a mention: the group dance at the Boar’s Head Carol party, where all the cast dance in unison at times, during the typically English ballet piece. The work en-pointe does not go amiss, especially when you hear all the pointe shoes land the same time – what an extraordinary effect.

If you were to search how to light a performance effectively, then this should be the answer you find; one of the best uses of lighting you could expect. It was so varied, and all used impeccably to really set the atmosphere in each scene. One moment in particular is the light beaming through Scrooge’s (almost-derelict) bedroom window. You would be hard pressed to know if it was lighting or actual daylight shining in.

It is such a shame that there is no longer a live orchestra with the Northern Ballet but it doesn’t seem to take as much away from the show as anticipated. Even still, it was missed.

Portioned up into three perfectly sized acts, full of festive cheer, whimsical and wonderfully wintery, this is not one to miss.

A Christmas Carol plays at the Lyceum Theatre until Saturday 9 November. This production will be performed to recorded music. Tickets can be booked through the Box Office in person, over the phone on 0114 249 6000, or at sheffieldtheatres.co.uk.

Sophie Dodworth is an experienced theatre reviewer. Prior to joining NAR she has written reviews for multiple review sites including The Reviews Hub, and sees reviewing as a lovely break from being a busy mum. Sophie has herself tread the boards, working full time as a professional singer many years ago and more recently in amateur productions.