A Christmas Carol review – Pure festive season joy

In Johannesburg there’s a Christmas tradition of watching the pantomime and, if you’re old school and like the classics, it doesn’t come any better than A Christmas Carol.

The second run of the show at The Studio Theatre is a festive season must, not just because the Scrooge story remains endearing and nostalgic, but because the show is so intimate and lovely.

The show premiered in 2017, and although it’s easy to get caught up in the intoxication of Boney M playing everywhere, Charles Dickins’ classic tale has a way of just completely getting you in the festive mood while reminding you that it pays to be good.

The story is brought to life by Tiaan Rautenbach as Scrooge and Naret Loots as all the other characters. The two have a chemistry that really pops at times and allows the show to tell a classic story with a somewhat fresh tone. And that’s the charm.

With Wessel Odendaal’s music and the direction of Elizma Badenhorst, the show becomes the kind of thing that should be taped and produced on DVD and stuffed in every Christmas sock. It’s heady, festive joy on par with the new year’s must, Dinner for One.

Rautenbach and Loots bring to life all the ghosts from Christmas past, present and future in perfect timing, creating a memorable stage experience.

A Christmas Carol. Picture: Supplied

VR Theatricals’ Jaco van Rensburg and Odendaal have had an exceptional year at the Montecasino theatre complex, and it really feels like they deserve to have their show back at The Studio Theatre to end 2018. They, after all, brought Avenue Q to South Africa and that deserves the highest laurels.

What brings this production to life is a unison of narration and music. It’s just pure Christmas magic – so why not indulge?

The company created this version of A Christmas Carol last year as a last minute run according to Van Rensburg, because a space became available and time was limited. The first run was sold out, so this year they brought it back with a couple of tweaks.

The show is on until January 6 so there’s plenty of time to see it.

Info

Rating: ★★★★☆
Starring: Tiaan Rautenbach and Naret Loots
Director: Elizma Badenhorst
Theatre: The Studio Theatre, Montecasino

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.