A Christmas Carol- Octagon Theatre, Bolton

Writer: Charles Dickens

Adaptor: Kate Ferguson

Music/Lyrics: Susannah Pearse

Director: Sarah Tipple

Travelling to Bolton’s Octagon Theatre it looks like the venue’s festive celebrations have spilled over into the streets. Seasonal light displays in the town centre are now in full swing and include sound-emitting strands of lights, misty light clouds hanging atmospherically around the town hall and, for some reason, gigantic puppets of owls and astronauts. It is certainly worthwhile arriving early to check out the displays.

Charles Dickens’s classic A Christmas Carol is given a brisk musical adaptation by Kate Ferguson and Susannah Pearse. The running time is a child-friendly 100 minutes plus interval necessitating some compression of events in the source material which may not always satisfy purists.

In Victorian London Ebenezer Scrooge cannot endure the festive season, taking offence at the singing of Christmas Carollers, scorning charity workers and rejecting efforts by his nephew, the child of the deceased sister Scrooge adored, to encourage him to join in the celebrations.  A supernatural intervention occurs with the ghost of Jacob Marley, Scrooge’s late partner, visiting to offer a warning of the dire fate which awaits Scrooge if he does not amend his ways and learn to honour Christmas. Three Spirits visit Scrooge compelling him to review his past and current life and consider his future.

Director Sarah Tipple sets a fast-moving pace. Apart from David Birrell, who plays Scrooge, all of the cast take on more than one role. In the stripped-down production there are only five actors supplemented by a trio of child actors. To facilitate rapid costume and scene changes Hannah Wolfe’s stage set is kept to the bare minimum whilst remaining strikingly effective. Jacob Marley’s skeletal ghost emerges from the armchair upon which Scrooge is sitting. The appearance of Marley is foreshadowed not by a ghostly manifestation on the door knocker but a sleight-of-hand trick resulting in Scrooge being chained to his former partner whilst on a busy street.

Susannah Pearse occasionally incorporates Dickens’s text into the lyrics, remarking on Scrooge’s flint-like nature. The songs are a grab-bag of styles, not particularly seasonal but certainly lively jumping from pop to heavy metal.

Whereas the spirits who visit Scrooge in the original encourage reflection, the musical adaptation makes them disruptive, challenging the miser’s parsimonious interpretation of the festive season.  Some of Dickens’s wider social concerns are, however, omitted from the adaptation. Instead of alerting Scrooge to the perils of allowing Ignorance and Want to go unchecked the Ghost of Christmas Present (Lucy Keril) is hedonistic and widely enthusiastic, belting around the stage on a scooter demanding pudding.

Kate Ferguson‘s adaptation tweaks the nature and purpose of Scrooge’s supernatural visitors.  Hannah Brown’s glittery jolly-hockey sticks version of the Ghost of Christmas Past becomes a reminder of the continuing grief experienced by Scrooge at the early death of his sister and the Ghost of Christmas Present is representative of the giddy, celebratory aspects of the season.

In the main, however, a light touch is preferred. When a reformed Scrooge collaborates with one of the spirits and plans out his future actions he cannot resist questioning if the proposals make sound business sense. No opportunity is missed to make a joke- a heavy metal style song concludes with the burning of guitar rather than a Christmas pudding.

David Birrell is a sardonic Scrooge, amused to the point of laughter by the concept of charity. He leads by example surviving on gruel and unable to understand why other people require more expensive but satisfying foodstuffs. There is a harsh, defensive undertone to the character, losing his temper when reminded of events he would rather forget. Birrell also has a sharp, distinctive singing voice ideal for the musical and draws out the emotional impact of the loss experienced by Scrooge in the passing of his sister, Fan.

Whist purists might not appreciate the slimming-down of Dickens’s social concerns Octagon Theatre’s musical adaptation of A Christmas Carol is highly accessible and certain to delight younger audiences.

Runs 13 November 2025 to 10 January 2026