A Ghost Story
Being the Tale of a Haunted Man
with David Bradley as Ebenezer Scrooge
It is a Winter's Eve & nothing shall satisfy us on such a night but to hear tales of spectres. Amidst candles, quills, cashboxes & keys a ghostly tale, based upon the story of the dour Ebenezer Scrooge, unfolds to create a seasonal show for your delight.
THE CHIMES is a Victorian tapestry of symbolism, sentiment, song & the supernatural. Magical music, mime & melodrama, together with an alchemy of visual effects, costume & characters, interweave to offer something for everyone from the age of eight to ninety-eight.
Childhood rhymes echo softly down the years as Spectres, reminiscent of the Marley phantom, haunt & taunt Ebenezer with his sins, & manifest the ghosts of his past, present & future life in order to bring about his redemption.
In telling its dreamlike tale, where all manner of spirits flicker & fade away & one wonders whether anything is real, Kaleidoscope Theatre endeavours to provide a transient flight from the ordinary humdrum events of life whilst holding on to a strong moral purpose.
The world & writings of Charles Dickens come alive in the
RSC's SWAN THEATRE, in the company of the Kaleidoscope Players & guest artist David Bradley. David is a long-standing member of the RSC whose many outstanding film appearances include 'Our Mutual Friend', 'Vanity Fair', 'The Way We Live Now' & 'Harry Potter'."........this serious and wonderfully choreographed interpretation was probably the best thing seen at the Swan Theatre since Henry VI."
"It was no great surprise that RSC stalwart and Harry Potter star David Bradley was tremendous as a gaunt, softly spoken Scrooge. He turned some of the famous lines into put-downs and quips: it’s not often you get a laugh out of ‘Are there no prisons?’ His, however, was just one of many fine performances."
"This was no Disney-style version of a Dicken’s classic novel rather it concentrated on the darker side of the story and its none-too-subtle social comment. The children, Ignorance & Want, who are often left out of film and stage versions, made an appearance and there was a thoughtful scene which equated nationalistic fervour with the ignoring of the problems of poverty and deprivation in society."
"Some of Kaleidoscope’s actors happen to have Down’s Syndrome but to say that this made the performance all the remarkable would be to miss the point because, in this case, the play was definitely the thing."
Stratford Herald at the RSC's Swan Theatre
Fred Cooke as CharlesDickens and David Bradley as Ebenezer Scrooge
Peter Cubit as Jacob Marley
Pleasantly & No-One wish to Lay it