A Christmas Carol

Bolton Octagon Theatre

Runs until January 13

THE festive season has got off to a spectre-acular start in Bolton with the Octagon spreading some seasonal merriment with its heartwarming and uplifting Christmas show.

Director Ben Occhipinti has cast his magic over Charles Dickens’ cherished festive tale, A Christmas Carol — adapted by Bolton’s very own Neil Duffield — to create this enchanting family show, with one very young member of the audience commenting, as he left the theatre, ‘that was definitely a thumbs up’.

The stage play stays faithful to the classic tale of ghostly messages and bah humbugs, with added Christmas treats for the youngsters — including magical scenes from much loved children’s books — and, poignantly, modern references to today’s world.

The show is no longer than two hours making it perfect for families, who find them transported back to Christmas Eve 1843 with the cast creating the excitement of Christmas except for Scrooge whose response to the big day is simply ‘bah humbug’ — used to much superb hilarity in the show. That is until he is visited by the ghost of his old business partner Jacob Marley in a frightfully funny scene.

Scrooge, brilliantly played by Marc Small, and Marley, superbly depicted by Robert Jackson, add comedy to the scene much to the audience’s delight.

Small’s depiction of Scrooge is quite utterly brilliant, adding his nuances to the character to super effect and much laughs.

The small cast plays a variety of roles with the production having an impressive company of young children, performing in the chorus and taking on a number of parts.

Special effects signalling the arrival of the ghosts are simple but effective, with smoke coming from the pit — and the ghost of Christmas Future adds, quite rightly, a dark atmospheric moment to the show. Watch out for the flying scenes too, a nice touch.

And in line with a traditional Christmas show, the cast responds to the audience’s reactions perfectly.

The production features of a host of classic Christmas carols with the young cast giving a beautiful rendition of Silent Night.

It is all I could do to stop myself from joining in with final song, We Wish You a Merry Christmas.

Christmas Carol was first published in December 1843 and its enduring popularity makes it the perfect festive treat for young and old this Christmas.

Saiqa Chaudhari