A Christmas Carol – Octagon Theatre

The economics of modern theatre production are currently on full display at the Octagon Theatre in Bolton, with their festive offering of ‘A Christmas Carol’ beginning its run for a mammoth eight weeks. This is a decision that may bear fruit at the box office but does little to enhance the artistic merit of this normally excellent producing house, staging a show that is threadbare and tonally inconsistent, leaving me with little of the Christmas cheer I hoped to find.

In keeping with the Scrooge like nature of this review I won’t waste my word count on an explanation of the plot of Dicken’s most famous novella; the redemption of Ebenezer Scrooge (David Burrell) over the course of one Christmas Eve is one of the most enduring stories in literature and has been used on countless occasions in many different forms, ensuring its place in the classic Christmas of every household in the country. I love the story, more in its original form as a morality tale and social warning on the ills of capitalism than in the musical adaptations it latterly morphed into, although even I cannot resist the lure of Michael Caine in the seminal ‘Muppet Christmas Carol’!  Any modern adaptation has to decide where it wants to position itself on this broad spectrum. Unfortunately, the creative team of Writer Kate Ferguson and Director Sarah Tipple chose to appeal to everyone, with the result satisfying nobody.

Burrell strides onstage in full Victorian regalia espousing lines direct from Dickens, a traditional interpretation which feels strong and solid with delivery and presence to match. However, his demeanour throughout the rest of the show’s swings wildly from pathos to bathos, his conversion to righteousness being far too comedic and detracting from the strength of the original story. This broad turn would have been better served if the whole piece was geared towards it, however, Ferguson’s decision to conflate the characters of Ghost of Christmas Past with Scrooge’s sister Fan (Hannah Brown) made this a much more serious examination of the effect of loss, Scrooge’s demeanour felt hugely incongruous in the light of this unneeded comedy. This lack of harmony threw the whole piece askew and was the only consistent thing in the evening, the harsh darkness of the original novel clashing horribly with the light tone that blanketed the production, making any audience reaction immediate rather than building the mood so crucial to the story’s success.

Further contradiction was found in the musical numbers (Susannah Pearse) which rejected tradition in favour of pop sensibility whilst simultaneously trying to extract schmaltzy sentimentality from the Cratchit family dynamic. The clear instruction to get to the kids in the audience may have some financial merit but it came at the cost of the warmth and tenderness engendered by the story and had no place. Only when Brown sang a gorgeous solo at the conclusion did we catch a brief glimpse of where the musicality of this show may have been better utilised.

In addition to a lack of consistent direction the Octagon seemingly made little attempt to give this show the sparkle and scale a Christmas production warrants. Given the length of the run and the subsequent revenue generated, I would have expected sets and costumes to be more sumptuous than the few coloured bulbs and minimal props on display. The small cast of five actors -supplemented by two children- felt thinly stretched, especially in the musical numbers where a larger ensemble may have given needed weight to the production. The lighting was harsh and unforgiving and the whole endeavour felt like money was being saved not spent, no doubt that Scrooge would have approved of the production budget spreadsheet.

There are an enormous number of productions of ‘A Christmas Carol’ to choose from over the festive season, unfortunately, this one did nothing to engender any Christmas spirit and left me feeling ‘Humbug’ was the most appropriate description.

Playing until 10th January 2026, https://octagonbolton.co.uk/

Reviewer: Paul Wilcox

Reviewed: 21st November 2025

North West End UK Rating: