Steele yourself for Christmas

WE'VE had a foretaste of the season's goodwill and jollifications with the magnificent White Christmas, but where would we be without a visit from the old curmudgeon Ebenezer Scrooge?

And here he comes, in the person of Tommy Steele.

The musical actually started out as a film, starring Albert Finney and Alec Guinness. Leslie Bricusse later adapted it for the stage.

To the four songs originally used in the film he had added new numbers in every style from sentimental ballads to patter songs and knees-ups.

It was staged in 1992 with Bricusse's old collaborator from Stop The World, I Want To Get Off, Anthony Newley. The following year Newley brought it to the Theatre Royal.

Ten years later Tommy Steele starred here in the show, his appearances as Scrooge at the London Palladium having taken him into the record books as the star to have headlined the most performances at the theatre. And now he's back with it again.

The story of the miser who is shown the errors of his ways in a series of visits from spirits have proved popular ever since Dickens wrote it over a six-week period in 1843. It has been staged as a play, and recorded on every conceivable carrier imaginable. And of course musicalised – hateful word, but it says exactly what it means. It's not easy to visualise the ebullient Steele subduing his natural effervescence and bonhomie, so it will be intriguing to see how his boundless talents interpret the role of the inveterate miser.

Back in 2003 I seem to recall that his Scrooge was more a grumpy old man than a figure hated by everyone, but there are many different ways of playing a character. And Scrooge must have a soft core that can be accessed, or the miraculous changes in him could never come about. But it's not a one-man show.

There are plenty of other memorable characters, including the sorely put upon Bob Cratchit and his family, especially his crippled son Tiny Tim, as well as the jolly Fezziwigs and their party. Not to be forgotten are Scrooge's deceased partner Jacob Marley, and spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Future.

One of the highlights of this spectacular show is the series of illusions devised by Paul Kieve. Famous now for his work on the Harry Potter films, Kieve explains that the works hard on creating the magic, and then hopes that no one notices. Because the magic has gone once you see how a figure passes through a window, or how a character suddenly appears or disappears. You'll need to keep a sharp lookout to stand any chance of explaining Kieve's trickery.

Scrooge runs at the Theatre Royal next week only, from Monday until Saturday, December 12.

See tomorrow's edition of The Herald for Bill Stone's round-up of amateur panto productions