Scrooge The Musical - Review by Seb Ward | British Youth Music Theatre

Scrooge The Musical - Review by Seb Ward

** (2.5 Stars)

The Mayflower, Southampton - Tuesday 12 November, 2013

This classic retelling of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol follows the past, present and future Christmases of Ebenezer Scrooge (Tommy Steele): a miserable, selfish, loather of Christmas who transforms into an unrecognisably festive man by the end of the show.

The script is complimented by a lively score, composed by Leslie Bricusse, however the audience is not left with many memorable numbers. Scrooge has a simple, yet effectve, set involving mainly trucks and flies, which allows for the ghost characters to enter and exit in a magical way leaving the audience baffled and amazed. The transitions between scenes are slick giving the show a fast and energetic pace.

This is Steele’s eighth time playing the title role and he is very well accustomed to it. He perfectly embodies the part, presenting himself in a ‘Fagin-esque’ way and playing up to the panto-like comedy very well. However, as unfortunate as it is to say, it is clear to see that this great legend has reached the end of his prime. As the show went on, Steele frequently oscillates between a cockney and well spoken accent which at first seems to be intentional, but isn’t clear as the show progresses. Further, he very much struggles at the top of his range and therefore is unable to project the high notes above the orchestra. This being said, Steele is by no means less loved by the audience.

Vocally the ensemble is very strong with notable performances coming from Elana Martin who plays Helen/Isabel and Trevor Jary who takes on the role of Tom Jenkins. Steve Hansell who performs the role of Bob Cratchit also gives a sterling performance.

Overall, the show is a good night out and will get the children into a festive mood, but with shows such as Wicked coming down the Mayflower I wouldn’t necessarily rank it very highly.

Scrooge the Musical Mayflower Southampton Tommy Steele