Northern Ballet dance their way through Dickens in this snowy, sparkling Christmas treat.
The story doesn’t stray from the familiar tale of Ebeneezer Scrooge, and his visitations by the ghosts of dead business partner Marley, and those of Christmas past, present, and yet to come.
The first act is something of a tease for ballet lovers with only some gentle corps work and Bob Cratchit (George Liang) slacking off and dancing in the office – it’s fun to watch, but you can understand Scrooge (Albert González Orts) being less than impressed with the young bookkeeper’s work ethic.
The meat of the story is in act two, with the main visitations. Mayuko Iwanaga as the Ghost of Christmas Past is a joy to watch, with some unexpected angular yet gentle movements. Massimo Moricone’s choreography here seems somewhat disconnected from Carl Davis’ score though – perhaps an artefact of relying on a 2014 recording rather than a live orchestra, following funding cuts.
Scrooge’s past is explored through a rambunctious party thrown by the Fezziwigs, his first employer, with Mr & Mrs Fezziwig (Harry Skoupas and Gemma Coutts) providing plenty of comic moments amid some lovely group work. The highlight though is Amber Lewis as Belle, fiancée to young Scrooge (Jackson Dwyer) – their pas de deux is exceptional. The dance is wracked with emotion, culminating in Belle breaking off the engagement as the party re-emerges around them, with elder Scrooge powerless to change the events that set him on his lonely path.
The next two ghosts are given shorter shrift, though Stefano Varalta is an entertainingly camp Ghost of Christmas Present, dispensing copious glitter as he shows Ebenezer the Cratchit Christmas, including a live song from Tiny Tiny (Daniel Ibbitt). Joseph Taylor is the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, under a ghoulish costume, who shows Scrooge a mirror image of Marley’s funeral but with a more familiar name on the gravestone, and leaves our nervous anti-hero surrounded by a clutch of staggering phantoms.
The final act starts with the Christmas Day bells and Scrooge a new man. Ortz is perhaps a little too sprightly – Scrooge may have turned a corner, but he’s still an old man – but its a joyous conversion and one that spreads joy throughout the local folk, including a final outing for children from the Norwich School of Dance who are joining the company through its Theatre Royal run.
There is an awful lot to like in this production, with some great costumes from Lez Brotherstone, just enough ghoulish content to give the kids a healthy fright, snippets of familiar Christmas carols, and a healthy sprinkling of snow.
It’s a festive selection box of treats, with a delicious central dance by Lewis and Dwyer at its heart.
- A Christmas Carol is at Norwich Theatre Royal until Saturday 23 November 2024, then touring.
