Review: A Christmas Carol(ish) @sohoplace

Review: A Christmas Carol(ish) @sohoplace

Summary

Rating

80

Excellent

Nick Mohammed brings a new level of absurdity to this much-performed classic, resulting in bursts of laughter throughout the theatre. The perfect festive pick-me-up.

Living in London in the run up to Christmas is a mixed blessing. Sometimes you feel like you’re in a Richard Curtis movie as you window shop at Fortnum’s, or stumble upon a beautiful light display. And sometimes the West End is overwhelmingly busy and stressful. As we headed to the theatre we experienced both, but arrived at @sohoplace on a complete high having just met the rather wonderful Rupert Everett next door in Foyles. This left the show with a bit of a challenge, to sustain our good spirits and keep the festive joy going. 

A Christmas Carol(ish) takes on the task of injecting new life into an old story, and a very over-adapted one at that. But, at the hands of Mr Swallow (a character developed by Nick Mohammed when he was at school, and refined over the years), we needn’t worry. It’s a little complicated. Nick takes to the stage as a very glitzy Mr Swallow, to introduce his show and his cast of three. He then goes into character, as Santa, who is also then playing Scrooge.

This is a deliciously funny show. Mohammed’s character is instantly loveable and you don’t need prior experience of Mr Swallow’s shows to get the jokes. There’s wonderful chemistry between him and his cast: Martha Howe-Douglas (Rochelle), Kieran Hodgson (Jonathan) and David Elms (Mr Goldsworth). 

Despite the fact the show is scripted, it teeters close to feeling like improv. At one truly madcap moment in the second half, Mary is giving birth to Jesus, whilst Mr Swallow aka Santa, aka Scrooge, is the midwife (keeping up?). The cast seem dangerously close to corpsing and I wiped tears from my eyes on many occasions, as giggles erupted around the theatre.  

Just as with the definitive version of A Christmas Carol, starring Michael Caine as Scrooge, this adaptation is also a musical. Oliver Birch’s compositions are perfectly in-keeping with the tone of the show, with catchy tunes and ridiculous lyrics. They’re also self-aware. When one song starts to go on a bit, the cast start singing about how it is a bit too long. The one weak link was ‘Satan Baby’ in the second half, sadly in part down to the sound levels being slightly off, so you couldn’t hear Howe-Douglas’s lyrics. Although her costume was spectacular.

Mr Swallow has hit the big time of the West End, with a set that’s intricate and clever. There are secret doors and conveyer belts adding to the controlled chaos, while the small houses dotted around conjure the sense of Santa’s epic Christmas Eve task in such a beautiful way. And, not to give any spoilers, but Mr Swallow’s final redemption pushes the set to such extremes, it is genuinely terrifying! 

A note on the theatre, @sohoplace opened in October 2022 and is a wonderful space. The leg room is generous, and there doesn’t appear to be a bad seat in the house. It’s a slick building, and the bar is classy if a little expensive, especially if you just want a bottle of water (£4 might be a new record). But this is soon forgotten as Mr Swallow brings you into his silly world. 

In response to Mr Swallow’s direct comment to the press not to “take the piss” I’ll just leave you with one final thought. Christmas can be stressful for some, conjuring up varied emotions of Christmases past. So what could be more delightful then escaping to @sohoplace and letting Mr Swallow’s absurd, delightful and ridiculous comedy family take you under their wing, sending you back out into the chaos with a thankful heart? 

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Book and lyrics by: Nick Mohammed
Music by: Oliver Birch
Directed by: Matt Peover
Musical direction by: Conor Halford Macleod
Produced by: Owen Donovan

A Christmas Carol(ish) is playing until 31st December at @sohoplace. Further information and booking details can be found here.