There are more than a dozen versions of A Christmas Carol playing in London tonight, and dozens more around the country. From the ultra-traditional, to the weird and wacky, there’s no escaping Charles Dickens’ perennial favourite at this time of year. But perhaps the most anticipated has been the arrival of Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol, playing for the first time in London at Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall.
Not to be confused with the 1980’s Dolly Parton movie of a similar name, this is a brand-new musical which premiered in the US as theatre emerged from the pandemic, and now it’s time for London to experience a rootin’, tootin’ version of Scrooge like we’ve never seen before.
It’s the familiar story but given a big twist by book writer David H. Bell and adapted by Curt Wollan, set in the height of the depression within a small community in the Appalachians; expect a journey deep into Eastern Tennessee filled with those delicious long drawl accents, and delightful colloquialisms, “he’s madder than a mule chewing a bumble bee”.
Where’s Dolly in all of this you may ask, and the answer is in the music; the Queen of Country has provided a fantastic new score that feels more like the Dolly of the early days. Don’t expect a ‘Jolene’ in here, but there’s some crackers, including ‘I’m Dreaming of a Smoky Mountain Christmas’ and ‘Appalachian Snowfall’.
If you’re expecting some kind of miniature version of Dollywood on a London stage, you’ll either be pleasantly surprised or dreadfully disappointed, instead this is like a step back in time to Dolly’s true roots, and that gives everything about this production a kind of warm-hearted homely feel. Scott Davis’s largely static set has the company store as a backdrop, filled with the inhabitants of a mining town named Morton’s Hollow.
Linda Roethke’s costumes perfectly capture the time of depression hit 1937, and the story, certainly in the first act, reminds us of a time when everyone got poorer…except the rich, who got richer. In today’s political climate, perhaps that story rings truer than normal, but it also reminds us of kindness and compassion, and every word uttered by Tiny Tim (Samuel Sturge on press night) brings a lump to the throat.
For a show of such scale, Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol has a surprising amount of multi-rolling. It works on some levels, but a little too often it becomes confusing as to which character is saying, or doing, what. One performer who nails it is George Maguire; a meek and humble Cratchit that transforms to a Beetlejuice-esque ghost of Marley, livening up the first act with rattling chains and ghoulish groans.
Danny Whitehead also does a remarkable job of switching between the younger Scrooge (known as Eben here) and nephew Fred, delivering one of the best vocal performances of the night alongside Sarah O’Connor with the charming ‘Three Candles.’
Not everyone on stage has perfectly mastered that Tennessee drawl, but that’s often disguised by hootin’ and a hollerin’ as old washboards and spoons are used by the small on-stage band who do a fantastic job of providing all of the music. Halle Brown gives a powerful assessment of where Scrooge turned to the wrong path in the role of Sadie, and Iona Fraser dazzles as Eliza and Others.
Robert Bathurst is a perfect Ebenezer Scrooge, particularly cruel in the beginning, the gradual change is almost imperceptible, making the final moments of redemption all the more heartwarming. Sadly, his one proper solo number, ‘I’ve Changed’ is the weakest song in the show and makes Scrooge sound more like a televangelist than reformed miser.
Director Alison Pollard certainly seems to have captured the feel of Tennessee, particularly in the choreography that bounces with Country enthusiasm in charm. Like the music, the production, as a whole, mostly hits all the right notes.
With so many versions of A Christmas Carol to choose from, Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol is like a mug of warm cider on a cold December night. It brings the spirit of Dickens’ original to the Smoky Mountains, and while it’s as sickly sweet as a jug of maple syrup, there’s something utterly charismatic, comfy, and cozy about this heartwarming musical.
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