Writer: Charles Dickens
Adapter: Adam Z. Robinson
Director: Dick Bonham
Marley was dead, to begin with…
If there is a more iconic opening line, then your reviewer doesn’t know what it could be. Yes, the lights are lit, the weather is turning, everyone is slowly sliding into Christmas, and that can mean only one thing – it’s time to start mainlining A Christmas Carol.
Everyone has their own favourite version of the story, and arguments over the best are almost as common at this time of year as the discussion of if Die Hard is a Christmas movie (it isn’t). Are you team 1951 Alistair Sim, or do you feel Michael Caine and the Muppets reign supreme? Well, after this show, you will want to add Adam Z. Robinson to the list too. And not just as Scrooge.
Robinson is no stranger to ghost stories, with his theatre company The Book of Darkness and Light regularly touring original work of a more macabre nature. For A Christmas Carol, he stands alone on the stage, effortlessly becoming 28 different characters over the course of two hours, and you’d be forgiven for thinking the stage is full because of it. Perhaps the ghosts have come with him to play as chorus. Using voice and mannerisms to great effect Robinson plays as both narrator and character, both Gonzo and Kermit, as well as Charles Dickens and everyone else besides. He injects pathos, humour and a lot of spirit into the performance, and the audience veers between laughing, crying and the odd bit of genuine spook in his capable hands. Pre-recorded ghost dialogue is a masterful touch here, allowing Robinson to react to himself, and thus engage the audience in a way that is easy to lose in a one man show. The script is his own edit but is so accurate to the original that he may as well just be reciting Dicken’s words wholesale, a frankly astonishing feat considering that guy was paid by the word and didn’t hesitate to bulk up his pay check.
Robinson is ably supported by light and sound that are almost characters in their own right. The stage is simple, a writing desk, some greenery, a coat rack and many battery powered candles, but the lighting transforms it into all the expected locations: a dimly lit bedroom, a bright London street, a dingy counting house. A stripe of light spilling from a half open door towards the end of Act One is especially effective, and Robinson’s interplay with the shadows and beams throughout are lovely to watch, helping transform him from miser to jovial gentleman. Equally evocative is the consistent sound scape, combining traditional carols and dark thrums, building and relieving and re-establishing moments of cheer and tension in delightful harmony with the text. There are times when this could be pushed a touch louder to really envelope the audience and the action, but the stage never feels quiet or dead due this excellent addition (except, of course, when such a silence would be most impactful).
In a year where the less pleasant themes of A Christmas Carol have been sadly all too present in the world, this show is a message of hope. If a Victorian Scrooge can change his ways following a single night with the spirits, it is to be hoped that so can the many who have forgotten to care for the welfare of their fellow man recently. Robinson’s interpretation is a wonderful place to start that healing.
Reviewed on 17th December 2025. Touring until 20th December 2025.
The Reviews Hub Star Rating
100%
Enchantingly spirited