GEMMA ROSE

THEATRE REVIEW: SCROOGE THE MUSICAL

 

Scrooge the Musical

Liverpool Empire Theatre, Liverpool

Saturday December 10th 2011, 19:30

 

He may be approaching 75, but Tommy Steele is back comfortably in the role of miserable, life-loathing Ebenezer Scrooge in the record breaking musical adaption of the Charles Dickens classic.

 

Directed by Leslie Bricusse, the show is definitely a slow starter. The opening from the chorus did not fill me with excitement and expectation of a family extravaganza. It was, dare I say it, rather dull. The other characters appeared bland and the necessary ‘scene setting’ appeared laboured. But as soon as Steele appeared in true Scrooge style; waistcoat and fingerless gloves, the entire dynamics of what was unfolding in front of me changed.

 

He pulled the ensemble together, and despite portraying the Grinch of the Victorian era, injected that Christmas magic we were hoping for.

 

Tommy’s years as an entertainer shone through. I laughed, I cried, and as the action progressed, and Steele’s Scrooge was visited by the ghosts, the depth of his performance became evident. There were moments of genuinely funny slapstick and natural comic timing, but what was less expected was the pathos and anguish which was so believably depicted as Scrooge saw the errors of his ways.

 

The performance got more and more slick by the entire cast as we followed Scrooge back to his childhood, losing the love of his life, and Tiny Tim’s delivery of the heart-warming line, “God bless us, everyone.” The songs were extremely well executed, although sometimes slightly repetitive.

 

Despite this, I still found myself humming the memorable ‘Thank you very much’ on my way home. Steele certainly stole the show, although the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come was a triumph of theatre trickery. After a lengthy standing ovation, Tommy has to slip back into character and growl: “Go home!”

 

This deliciously eerie musical will certainly raise your Christmas spirits.