A proper Christmas classic, performed as a one man show by Guy Masterson at Nottingham Playhouse...
In my opinion, mid-November is never too early to start celebrating Christmas, and what better way to kick off the festive season than this phenomenally acted one-man performance of A Christmas Carol.
Nick Hennegan’s take on the yuletide classic strips the show down to it’s absolute bare essentials- one actor, barely any props with only changes in lighting and mic effects to lead us through the famous tale of Ebenezer Scrooge. Some shows don’t need fancy stage effects, multiple actors or even elaborate costumes to deliver a punchy and atmospheric performance, and this was absolutely one of them.
Being a one-man performance, the pressure to deliver falls entirely upon one actor and Guy Masterson absolutely delivers. From the moment he steps onto stage you can tell you are in the presence of a master of his craft. Giving us masterful physicality, perfect voice work and utilising what little props he has to almost create an extension of himself- he truly brought every character to life. Not once was I unable to differentiate between Bob Cratchit or the Ghost of Christmas Past and Guy was able to perfectly blend the humour and seriousness depending on what the narrative required.
The best way I can think to describe the show is a visual audiobook- Guy’s performance adds so much to Dickens’ timeless story, and the narration is a delight to watch. This show was the perfect way to kick off the Christmas season and I cannot recommend it enough (even with its lack of muppets).
A Christmas Carol was shown at Nottingham Playhouse on Tuesday 19 November 2024.
We have a favour to ask
LeftLion is Nottingham’s meeting point for information about what’s going on in our city, from the established organisations to the grassroots. We want to keep what we do free to all to access, but increasingly we are relying on revenue from our readers to continue. Can you spare a few quid each month to support us?
