A Christmas Carol: Review

Genevieve Spiteri reviews Australia's fourth run of Charles Dickens' beloved Christmas tale.

Heavy spoilers ahead for the novel and light spoilers for this production! (Although if you don’t know how the story goes by this point, that’s kind of on you) 

Premiering to London audiences nine years ago, Matthew Warcus and Jack Thorne’s production of A Christmas Carol has been praised as one of the greatest theatrical adaptations of the source material, and after experiencing it for the first time at this season’s opening last night, I can certainly see why.  

Get ready to walk the cold streets of London in Winter at the Comedy Theatre! (Image: Michelle Hunder)

Currently touring the world's grandest stages, A Christmas Carol has landed in Melbourne for its fourth consecutive year. Prepare for the Comedy Theatre's antique interior to add to the Chrissy feeling, decorated with hundreds of lanterns guiding you from the bar to your seat. But, while you're at the bar, you may as well confront your own ghosts with a special 'Past' cocktail; Already over your childhood? Try a 'Present', or 'Yet to Come', three very fitting cocktails to settle into your evening.

Make sure you arrive early for the pre-show, which is fifteen minutes before the ticketed time, to soak up that snowy London Christmas feeling. Extras wander the stage and stalls offering mince pies and mandarins, complete with black coats and tall top hats and delightful British accents calling ‘Merry Christmas!’ across the theatre. There's glittering snow that falls over bands performing carols to cosy you up before the main show. Feeling jolly yet?

Get Chrissy with a Mince pie! (Image: Celeste Munroe)

As a fan of the 1843 novel by Charles Dickens, I am always wary of newer adaptations: They tend to have a great buildup of tension with the ghosts of Christmas Past and Present, but completely fall flat when the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come appears and Scrooge completely changes his heart. It feels unwarranted, like we have to wrap this up, so go on, Scrooge, cheer up now. But I absolutely loved this version of Scrooge, as he softens when seeing his past, which bridges us to his eventual redemption, feeling more realistic and warranted.

No one wants to see a cruel, mean old man suddenly feel charitable when he sees his future neglected grave – that doesn't give the sense he's learnt anything really. But a journey through his life, where he finds life's purpose to bring joy and love to others, is so much more rewarding.

Lachy Hulme, the Australian Logie and AACTA Award-winning actor, is simply brilliant as Ebeneezer Scrooge; his understanding of the role is evident from the first steps he takes onto the stage. Not only does he look and sound the part, but he understands the role of Scrooge and conveys this through his body language, his facial expressions and intonation. The magic of acting is that words cannot express the same ideas that actors can, at least not with the immense amount of empathy and human connection that comes from a physical human presence. Words cannot express the extent to which Hulme takes this character to an incredibly vulnerable version that deserves his redemption.  

Hulme delivers a steller performance of Scrooge, developing a more human approach to this old man's calloused heart. (Image: Michelle Hunder)

The rest of the cast is wonderful, too. They are full of energy throughout the production, and while sometimes the play requires them to do that theatre thing that people hate (they stand in black and narrate parts of the show, speaking at the same time), they fill the stage with wonder and joy, perfect for the Christmas feeling the show is clearly attempting to capture.  

Unlike other adaptations of the novel, this adaptation treats Scrooge’s change from greedy and selfish into a generous and joyful man quite beautifully. It gives reasons not only for why he was able to change but also extends to the audience as well. It shows kindness to the misers and shows the beauty in giving to the less fortunate. This year, the fundraising partner of A Christmas Carol is FareShare, which provides ready-made meals to Australian households experiencing food insecurity. A fitting partnership, as does the inclusion of three books from Kids’ Own Publishing at the merchandise stand.  

Cap off your year of theatre on a joyous note, and step out of London's cold back into the heat of Melbourne! (Image: Michelle Hunder

If you wear glasses, I have a tip for you - once the final spirit has departed, and Scrooge learns the error of his ways and commits to changing his future, PUT YOUR GLASSES AWAY! Cover your theatre snacks! Put your hand over your beverage! I won't spoil it, as you should experience the magic yourself, but there's a lot of fun to be had.

After all the many shows I've seen this year, A Christmas Carol has got to be my favourite, and I implore everybody to get a ticket to its limited run. Don't wait for next year, get in the Christmas spirit now and leave the theatre feeling lighter than you have in years - what a way to wrap up the 2025 Melbourne theatre season!