THE greatest Christmas classic of them all is being brought to life in spectacular fashion by the New Vic this festive season.
Celebrating the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens' birth, the theatre-in-the-round is staging A Christmas Carol until January 19. Adapted and directed by New Vic Artistic Director, Theresa Heskins, the production is being brought to the stage by the same creative team behind the theatre's Alice in Wonderland last year, a show which has recently been nominated for Best Show for Children and Young People in the Theatre Awards UK.
Heskins said: "The Christmas production is my favourite of the year. It offers something for everyone, and audiences young and old consistently go away dazzled by the scale and imagination of the show – this year is no different."
In the New Vic's house style, A Christmas Carol will invite actors and audience members to put their imaginations centre stage and will harness physical theatre techniques to stage the impossible.
Heskins added: "Making the Christmas show is a tremendous privilege because it will be seen by tens of thousands of children, many of whom will be having their first experience of seeing a play on stage."
A top notch cast features Paul Greenwood (Rosie, ITV, Comedy of Errors, RSC) as hard-hearted Ebenezer Scrooge, while Hannah Edwards, who wowed the crowds as Alice in the New Vic’s Alice in Wonderland, takes on the role of the Ghost of Christmas Past.
Joining the professionals on stage is a talented team of 24 budding performers who beat off competition from dozens of hopefuls to win places in the New Vic’s biggest show of the year.
The creative team includes the talents of award-winning television and film composer James Atherton, TMA-winning lighting designer Daniella Beattie from Leek (Best Lighting Design 2009) and the New Vic's fabulously inventive workshop team.
Tickets for A Christmas Carol, priced from £14 to £21, are available by telephoning the Box Office on 01782 717962 or online by visiting www.newvictheatre.org.uk.
