Spectacular Senior School production of 'A Christmas Carol'
Marley may be dead, but the Monkton site was alive and kicking last week, thanks to a spectacular multimedia production of Charles Dickens' yuletide classic, A Christmas Carol.
In the wake of a global pandemic, many schools would have given up on the idea of putting on a school play in any form, so it is testament to the resilience of this dedicated cast and crew that a production emerged at all, never mind one as ambitious as this! Adapting the RSC version by David Edgar, Mrs Allsop borrowed the 'promenade' style popularised by Punchdrunk Productions, using the entire school site to tell the story of Scrooge's transformation from bitter miser to empathic philanthropist.
Starting with an opening dance in the quad, where a draped fairy light canopy illuminated the snow-dusted yard in front of Scrooge’s office, the audience was then divided and, with the help of a map and grid, allowed to choose which scene they wanted to watch next. The production was designed to be seen in any order, with the ingenious invention of multiple actors playing Scrooge to enable scenes to occur simultaneously, so you could find yourself with the 'ghost of past' in the library, toasting Scrooge’s health at the Cratchit’s kitchen table in the Bowerman Hall, drinking mulled wine at Fezziwig’s party in the dining hall, or confronting the giant, terrifying 'ghost of future' in the hockey block marquee.
On top of this innovative navigation conceit, the production featured some outstanding integrations of audio-visual content, where some scenes were pre-filmed and projected onto cloth or walls in various locations, with actors reacting live to dialogue on the screen. Perhaps the most impactful of these moments was Sonia Chumak's experimental visual piece in the chapel, which used a jarring montage of shocking newsreel footage to bring the play's themes of poverty and neglect into a modern context.
This complex performance demanded a lot from its cast, who not only had to remain in-character for the entirety of the 2.5 hour show, but who also handled the portrayal of multiple characters, switching between scripted dialogue and improv, interactions with the audience, singing and dancing, not to mention adapting their acting style for both stage and screen, with seemingly effortless skill and dedication. For me, some standout performances included Judah Oyelumade as the intimating ghost of Jacob Marley, Chrissie Haynes' dual portrayal of 'ghost of present' and Dickens himself, Amelia Grant and Holly Brennan's versatility in a multitude of supporting roles, and Sam Myers, whose heartbreaking screen depiction of Bob Cratchit mourning Tiny Tim's death was a personal highlight.
I was lucky enough to catch the Friday night performance, and was bowled over by the designers' attention to detail, the director's epic transformation of the original story, and the cast's total commitment to their roles. I'm sure I speak for every member of the audience over its three-night run when I say that this was not just your typical school play - this was a totally absorbing, magical and transcendent experience that whisked us far away from Covid, Trump, Brexit, and all of the challenges of 2020, and gave us a night to remember for many years to come. God Bless Monkton, every one!
by George Purves
For more pictures from this production please visit the gallery:
