Last Monday evening, I had the pleasure of seeing the first performance of 'Dickens by Candlelight, A Christmas Carol' at Alderman Fenwick's House in Newcastle.
The building has great historical significance as well as links to Dickens, as he would often stay at 'The Queen's Head' coaching inn, as it was known at the time.
The building underwent extensive restoration and is a rare example of an early merchant's house in Central Newcastle. The building is also Grade I listed on the National Heritage List for England.
Dickens' links to Newcastle began earlier than this however as he was married to Catherine Hogarth, whose father was the editor of the Newcastle Chronicle.
This felt like the perfect setting to see this show, a reimagining of a Christmas classic with a North East flavour added to it. This new adaptation has been written by Stewart Howson and performed by actor/ director Louis Roberts in the titular role of Charles Dickens. The supporting cast is made up of North East actors Melanie Dagg and Nathan McGowan who excelled in their roles just as much as Louis did.
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On Louis Roberts first, the actor exceptionally portrayed the more upper class Dickens when compared to the other characters. His accent was very well done and he carried himself in a way that convinced the audience of his high-standing. Due to the nature of the piece, Louis also took on the lead character of A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge, which could not have been more different to his other character. Louis brought a real gravitas to the role of Scrooge as well as sensitivity later on when Scrooge was repentant for his past actions.
Melanie Dagg excelled in her main role as Geordie girl Nancy, who works at the hotel. She portrayed a great version of a working class girl with exceptional comedic timing. Melanie played Nancy as a girl of immense spirit, who is in awe of Dickens and his work and this came through incredibly well in her performance. The shock twist around her character is unexpected and this is done brilliantly by all involved. She also played Jacob Marley, who was bought to life through some wonderful design and performance choices.
Nathan McGowan did a fantastic job in his primary role of Topping, Dicken's hilarious cockney manservant. The character of Topping holds the play together as he immediately gets the audience on side with his witty remarks and sarcasm. Nathan also played a version of the Ghost of Christmas Present which is cleverly written as a Northern miner. In my opinion, he stole the show with his bellowing and over-the-top portrayal of the ghost.
Overall, the performance was a perfect mix of emotion and humour. Even with the story being such a well-known and popular one, their were still unexpected and powerful moments throughout. I would highly recommend the show as it is not just a great version of a highly-acclaimed Christmas tale but it also celebrates the history of the North East and the links between the area and Charles Dickens' work.
The show is available to see until Christmas Eve.
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