On a bleak Monday night, eight students took the train up to London Waterloo to see the festive play, ‘A Christmas Carol’ in London’s The Old Vic. Aneirin Buckland, Liam Kirk and Amalie Ondrova (all Upper Sixth) reflect on the trip below:

“With high spirits, we took our seats and waited for the play to commence. As the lights dimmed, we were greeted with Christmas harmonies and an extremely well-choreographed play.

The lead actor, Owen Teale, played Ebenezer Scrooge incredibly well and immersed everyone in his performance, bringing the character to life, but the star of the show was Tiny Tim. The young actor was showered with applause from the adoring crowd.

The historically accurate costumes truly brought the audience back to the mid-19th century and, at the same time, introduced some interactive show-like elements entertaining the viewers despite such serious topics as poverty, faith and redemption. The overall experience was completed by Scrooge breaking the fourth wall and with that, linking the theme of poverty to the present day which was a great way to finish the play.

It was a fabulous production and fully exceeded our expectations (especially as some of us are not fully involved in the world of theatre). The lighting was definitely the standout feature, with hanging lanterns being used throughout the play to great effect. The interesting stage dynamic of having a promenade stage combined with a cross layout allowed for many unique means of traversing the stage for the three ghosts and the many characters, past and present, that met the “covetous old sinner”.

Dickens’ play has caught each viewer in such timeless themes and brought out the atmosphere of upcoming Christmas, which all students and teachers seem to be very much looking forward to.”