Mischief Theatre Company entertain and captivate audiences with their hilarious take on the Charles Dickens classic Christmas Carol Goes Wrong.
Ahead of the show’s West End run, Christmas Carol Goes Wrong has taken the stage at The Lowry this November.
Directed by Matt DiCarlo and written by founding members Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields, the play is witty and charmingly hilarious from the opening line to the last bow.
The cast includes Matt Cavendish as Max, Daniel Fraser as Chris, Sasha Frost as Sandra, Chris Leask as Trevor, Henry Lewis as Robert, Jonathan Sayer as Dennis, Greg Tannahill as Jonathan, and Dumile Sibanda and Nancy Zamit sharing the role of Annie.
The creative team features Libby Todd on set design, Roberto Surace on Costume design, David Howe on lighting design, and Alex Braithwaite on sound design and composition.
Following the cast of the fictional Cornley Amateur Drama Society as they attempt to pull off a production of A Christmas Carol, the show utilises physical comedy and quick-witted dialogue as the characters descend into madness.
Christmas Carol Goes Wrong expands on the 2017 BBC special, the televised Christmas special from the creative minds of the Mischief Theatre Company, and includes many of the long-standing jokes and characters adored by fans of the company.
The play opens with director and actor Chris Bean (Daniel Fraser) and actress Annie Twilloil (Dumile Sibanda and Nancy Zamit) as they hold auditions for their upcoming performance of A Christmas Carol.
From the moment the characters set foot on stage, they exude hilarity, each displaying their own exuberant personalities, making references to their previous shows and immediately delving into the chaotic dynamics between characters.
Henry Lewis’ performance as Robert (The Ghost of Christmas Present/Clerk) left the audience in hysterical fits of laughter. His dry yet melodramatic line delivery, over-confident personality and dispute with Chris (Daniel Fraser) over the role of Scrooge create a ludicrous conflict, driving the characters to their breaking points.
As the cast and crew work towards their opening night, the audience are introduced to the comical mishaps Mischief Theatre are acclaimed for, setting the stage for the cleverly fabricated disasters yet to come.
Starkly sardonic, surly and aggravated, Daniel Fraser’s portrayal of Chris (and Ebenezer Scrooge) is as drily witty as it is compelling. His character becomes increasingly unhinged as the play, quite literally, crumbles around him.
A standout ongoing joke of the play was the set design. Based on a broken diorama, the Victorian infrastructure of Dickensian London also becomes home to a life-size box of Maltesers and a monstrous ventriloquist dummy in the role of Tiny Tim.
The set design and staging is beautifully executed, each element of the set is aesthetically pleasing and seamlessly aids every intentional blunder and technical tragedy: from the falling of stage lights to the mix-up of props.
The costumes embellish the frivolity of the production. The Ghost of Christmas Present engulfed in a life-size gift box and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come clumsily navigating a toweringly menacing cloak adds another layer of absurdity.
Between the lovably foolish characters, entertainingly-executed practical effects, and sharp-witted comedy, the Mischief Theatre Company once again welcomes audiences into the hysterical world of the Cornley Amateur Drama Society.
Christmas Carol Goes Wrong is a hilariously curated theatrical adaptation that explores the satirical comedy genre and guarantees laughter from start to end.
★★★★★
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