A Christmas Carol

A superb show!

Thank you all so much for such a warm welcome at the Palace last night. It was really lovely to finally meet and chat with you in person, along with Joe and various members of the cast.

In a word, we thought the show was superb! You’ve all done an amazing job with it, and we were genuinely moved to see it taking on a new life in such a special way. The enthusiasm and talent of the company were evident throughout; the music and harmonies were beautifully drilled; and you added some delightful directorial touches that made it a truly magical experience. Thank you for looking after it so well.

Please pass on our warmest congratulations and very best wishes to the entire cast and crew. We hope you have a wonderful final three shows – and a well-deserved, carol-free celebration at the end of the run!

God bless you, every one!

John Risebero and Ben Horslen, Directors: Antic Disposition (creators of the show)

Impressive musical version of the Christmas classic tale (5 stars)

It’s not often that you get to see Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol set to music but this week, as their annual show at the Palace Theatre, the Redditch Operatic Society get to present a UK amateur premiere production of the classic Christmas tale.

The story itself is as you would expect – back in London in 1843, moneylender Scrooge, via a visit from his former business partner Jacob Marley and series of spirits – Past, Present and Yet To Come – changes from a miserly old soul in a dressing gown who mutters ‘Humbug!’ at every opportunity into a man who is full of the joys of life, but only after he has been presented with the scenario of what might happen if he does not change his ways. Seeing his own coffin and gravestone makes him change for the better and the main beneficiary of this newly-found cheer is his impoverished employee Cratchit and his son Tiny Tim.

The clever thing about this musical version is that it is full of songs which the audience will already know as they are re-worded (to sometimes comic effect) traditional Christmas carols. Which, of course, is perfect for an operatic company to take full advantage of.

Edward Stokes does a superb job as the curmudgeonly Ebenezer Scrooge and he has great rapport with the rest of the cast, from the main characters through to the ensemble cast (more than 40 performers take to the stage) and, apart from one song, they are all choral versions of the hymns. The exception is a beautiful rendition of Silent Night, with individual contributions from miners, lighthouse keepers and a helmsman. There is also the surprising appearance of Ali Baba along with Robin Hood – well, he was dreaming all of this after all!

As one would expect of an opera company made up of singers of all ages, the vocals are very accomplished and a real pleasure to listen to. This is all done to the accompaniment of an 8-piece band under Musical Director Joe George whilst the show itself is very ably directed by Tony Jay (Chairman of ROS) and choreographed by Paula Lacey, with some nifty dance pieces to enjoy along with both the set and costumes which look very professional.

It can only be hoped that, having been rehearsing and singing carols for many months to perfect their performances, the cast can still enjoy what is a very important part of the Christmas celebrations in a month’s time!

Once this year’s show – and Christmas – is out of the way, the Society will be thinking about their next production, a new version of My Fair Lady which will be staged from November 17th to 21st 2026.

Pete Phillips, The View from the Stalls

A very special feel

There was a very special feel to Redditch Operatic Society’s annual show at the Palace Theatre, as they performed the amateur premiere of Antic Disposition’s version of Charles Dickens’ seasonal classic, A Christmas Carol. This is a show that has been running at London’s Middle Temple Hall for seven seasons, first being performed in December 2012. But it has never ventured out of the capital, let alone into the realms of amateur theatre. It was quite a coup, then, for ROS to secure this premiere, and I was excited to see what they had in store.

The curtains opened onto a very good set, depicting a Victorian London street. This immediately set the scene perfectly, and the effective staging continued throughout the show as other elements were flown in to depict locations such as Scrooge’s offices, front door (complete with creepy Marley apparition) and parlour. Atmospheric lighting also enhanced the mood throughout.

As the ensemble gathered on the cobbled streets of old London town, it soon became clear that the songs in this show are all based on well-known Christmas carols, such as ‘Good King Wenceslas’, ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’ and ‘We Three Kings’, with the lyrics changed to help tell the story of the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge. This was an interesting approach, and it must have presented quite a challenge to the cast to remember the correct words! It certainly made for a great atmosphere, as the cast sang a ‘Humbug and Gloom’ medley as Scrooge made his way grumpily about the streets, the lyrics cleverly commenting on his actions.

Edward Stokes has played the character of Ebenezer Scrooge once before and it showed, as he was immediately confident and comfortable in the role, showing very clear and strong characterisation. His excellent performance anchored the show superbly, providing a solid, familiar characterisation of the famous miser that was instantly recognisable. It wasn’t long before he was being visited by Jacob Marley (John Reeves, sporting a very impressive hairdo), accompanied by a bevy of capering phantoms who warned Scrooge of the eternal torments that awaited him through song. There was some very effective choreography, courtesy of Paula Lacey, in this scene, as the phantoms danced around with disconcerting grins on their faces.

A sprightly, perky Ghost of Christmas Past (Karen Perrey) soon arrived to take Scrooge on a tour of his past. Younger versions of Scrooge were portrayed by Benjamin Tomkinson (sharing the role of Child Scrooge/Tiny Tim with Felix McKinney at alternate performances), Dimitrious Zacharia and Jason Keley, with his relationships with his sister Fan (Hannah Finch) and lost love Belle (Lucy Goddard) effectively depicted. I also enjoyed the visit to Mr and Mrs Fezziwig (Sam Smith and Liz Bird), which had a wonderful, warm atmosphere and featured a charming dance sequence. It was good to see the characters in these scenes dressed in appropriate costume for the period in which they were set – excellent attention to detail from the production team. Costuming and make-up was very good throughout – essential to maintaining the Dickensian feel of the show.

The sequence of visitations with the Ghost of Christmas Present (Tim Eagleton), provided some of the highlights of the show, as we dropped in on the party of Scrooge’s nephew Fred (Steve Sidaway), and on the household of his long-suffering employee Bob Cratchit (Matt Brown). The Cratchit family (Deborah Mitchell, Lucie Barlow, Dimitrious Zacharia and Benjamin Tomkinson as a charming Tiny Tim) sang a wonderful, atmospheric version of ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’ that sent shivers down the spine.  I also enjoyed the series of visitations to others keeping Christmas in their own way (including a miner, a lighthouse keeper and a ship’s helmsman), to the tune of ‘Silent Night’, as a candlelit chorus looked on.

The final visitation is, of course, that of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come (Phill Sproston), in a dramatic sequence accompanied by some brilliantly atmospheric singing from the chorus. This featured a very moving scene with the Cratchits following Tiny Tim’s death. Scrooge’s mounting desperation to discover who lay in the coffin centre stage was very well depicted, as was the final revelation that the gravestone was his, as it was suddenly illuminated in a bright, Beetlejuice-style green.

The finale, in which, of course, Scrooge saw the error of his ways and was transformed into a better man, melted hearts as always, with the whole cast maximising the emotional impact very effectively. This was followed by a very nice post-curtain call rendition of ‘Carol of the Bells’, which brought the whole evening to a very satisfactory conclusion.  My congratulations to Director Tony Jay and MD Joe George, for bringing this charming version of A Christmas Carol to the Redditch stage with such skill and vision.  God bless them, every one!

Chris Davies, NODA Representative, Worcestershire East

West Midlands Premiere

I was absolutely determined to be back home from my trip Down Under in time for the annual musical performed by ROS. A Christmas Carol – in any version – is one of my personal favourites. With this being a brand-new musical, I did wonder whether any of the tunes would feel familiar. I recognised every one of them, even though the lyrics had changed. As Chris mentioned, it must have been quite the challenge to replace words we’ve all known for years with fresh ones, so well done on this.

Edward Stokes was a genuine delight as Scrooge – completely convincing as the infamous miser who eventually finds redemption. The true Christmas spirit shone brightly as his transformation unfolded.

This wasn’t just a West Midlands premiere, but the first performance of this musical anywhere in the country outside London – and the very first amateur production. I sincerely hope to see more societies take on this show in the future.

Thank you so much for the invitation, and I’m already looking forward to seeing everyone at My Fair Lady in 2026!

Andy Brown, NODA West Midlands Regional Councillor

Impressive both stagecraft and musically

All at ROS are to be congratulated for delivering a thoroughly enjoyable show. The on-stage performances from a formidable principal line-up were supported in equal measure by a highly accomplished cast, each of whom is to be commended for their character portrayals. This engaging production of A Christmas Carol impressed in both stagecraft and musicality. It was a pleasure to experience the vocalisation and harmonious blending of well-known carols with new lyrics that contributed so effectively to the storytelling of this much-loved tale.

The whole production team deserve recognition for transforming the stage into Victorian London in 1843. Authenticity was further enhanced through carefully considered and stunning costumes, character-changing wigs and make-up, expressive choreography, and imaginative lighting and sound effects. The precise top quality orchestration brought everything together, offering the audience a memorable piece of live theatre and a beautifully presented retelling of one of Charles Dickens’ most enduring characters – the miserable, miserly Ebenezer Scrooge and his salvation.

All good wishes for the final performance this evening, and for the early planning of My Fair Lady next year. In the meantime, thank you again, and season’s greetings to you all.

Ian Cox, NODA Chairman

We just wanted to congratulate you all on a wonderful production of A Christmas Carol. It was beautifully and cleverly staged, the acting and singing were superb and in our opinion couldnt have been bettered on the west end stage.

Pete and Jean Waring

Just a few lines to congratulate the company  on a magnificent show in all respects. Its drama, music and stagecraft all combined together into a week’s highly professional performances and was a tribute to everyone’s teamwork; I heard nothing but well-justified praise from all those who had seen it.  Please convey my congratulations to the Company.

Sabine Hofmann

Russ Cooper

Janet Fryer

Absolutely brilliant! Really really enjoyed that show I’d say one of the best- the scenery, acting, singing all fantastic well done everyone.

Liz Farquharson

Some years ago, our Chairman, Tony, read about Antic Disposition’s production of A Christmas Carol, which they present at Middle Temple Hall in central London. He thought that it would be an excellent show to bring to the Palace stage at some point, and contacted the creators of the show to see if they might consider allowing us to perform the show. They did – and it turned out that our production would be the very first amateur production of the show in the whole country – quite a coup, indeed!

This is a superb re-telling of the famous story, with all of the music made up of familiar seasonal tunes but with (most of) the lyrics expertly rewritten to tell the story of Dickens’ most famous character – the miserable, miserly Ebenezer Scrooge. It works incredibly well, and we highly recommend it to any other socieities who are considering presenting a festive show.

In London, the story is brought to life by twelve actors who play all the different roles, and even play some of the instruments. In our production, we had over forty performers on stage, who thoroughly enjoyed the whole rehearsal period – even if it did mean singing Christmas carols in the middle of the summer’s heatwave! Rehearsals were full of joy and laughter throughout.

Another huge benefit of the show is that it has over forty individually named characters, with dialogue, singing and/or featured dancing. This meant that loads of our company members (including some who had never taken principal parts before) were given the opportunity to play different roles – frequently more than one throughout the show. It really is a great ‘company’ show.

Everything came together superbly on the stage, and we received many glowing comments on everything from the set, costumes, lighting, special effects and overall design of the production. We hope the photographs below give some indication of the quality of this production.

Tony Jay took the Director/Producer’s helm for the seventh time, brilliantly supported by the team of Joe George (MD), Paula Lacey (Choreographer), Scott Woolfenden (Assistant MD) and Jean Chalk (Production Assistant/Costumes). All worked wonderfully together to create a show that we will look back on with huge fondness, satisfaction and pride.

The show achieved a respectable 72% at the box office, and made a decent profit for the society. Another reason to recommend the show to others.

Scenes and Musical Numbers

Act I

• Scene 1: A London Street, Christmas Eve 1843
  Humbug and Gloom (Citizens of London)
• Scene 2: Scrooge’s Office
  Ebenezer (Turkey Girl)
• Scene 3: A London Street, that night
  Night Falls (Citizens of London)
• Scene 4: Scrooge’s House
  Phantom Chorus (Marley and Phantoms)
• Scene 5: The Countryside
  Ali Baba and Robin Hood Dancers
• Scene 6: The Countryside, a few years later
• Scene 7: Fezziwig’s Warehouse Yard
  Fezziwig’s Party (Mr and Mrs Fezziwig and Guests)
• Scene 8: A London Street, a few years later
• Scene 9: Scrooge’s House

Act II

• Scene 1: Scrooge’s House
• Scene 2: A London Street, Christmas Morning 1843
  Christmas Morning (Citizens of London)
• Scene 3: The Cratchit Family Home
  Tiny Tim’s Song (Tiny Tim, The Cratchits, Company)
• Scene 4: A Desolate Landscape
  Silent Night (Miners, Lighthouse Keepers, Helmsman, Company)
• Scene 5: Fred’s Christmas Party
• Scene 6: A Bleak Place
  Ignorance and Want Dancers
• Scene 7: A Vision of the Future
  Christmas Future (Company)
  Tiny Tim’s Song reprise (Bob Cratchit)
• Scene 8: A Graveyard
• Scene 9: Scrooge’s House
• Scene 10: A London Street, Christmas Day 1843
  Ebenezer reprise (Turkey Girl and Company)
  Gathered Here Together (Company)
  We Wish You a Merry Christmas (Company)
  Carol of the Bells (Company)

Adapted from the novella by Charles Dickens
Book and Lyrics by Ben Horslen and John Risebero
Music composed and arranged by Nick Barstow

An amateur production presented by arrangement with Antic Disposition

A Christmas Carol – The Album: Relive the show with Antic Disposition’s joyous 50-minute audio adaptation. Buy online at www.anticdisposition.co.uk or stream from your usual music provider.