Dominion theatre, London
This delightfully staged concert has West End ritz, Disney schmaltz and an East End music-hall heart
On paper, a high-octane staged concert of Charles Dickens’ Christmas story may not be for purists. But in the flesh, this loud, rollicking, sometimes garish crowdpleaser that falls just short of caricature, could not better summon the spirit of an author who delighted in showmanship, from singing on pub table-tops as a child to the theatrical jamboree of his reading tours at the height of his fame.
With only two weeks of rehearsals squeezed in before opening night and now a victim of tier 3 closures, this is a riotous affair, with the budget of a ritzy West End show, the schmaltz of Disney and a heart that belongs in an East End musical hall.