Press
Five Stars!
A Christmas Carol: The Concert is the only known adaptation of Dickens’ 1843 novella written as a dramatic concert, with singers backed by the fantastic symphony orchestra and combining all with original lyrics inspired but the text, at times humorous and at times reflective.
It offers a new take on a timeless story, blending the sweep of symphonic performance with intense, beautiful, dramatic musical theatre. It brings the music to life in a way that other productions cannot.
Composer Robert Christianson and Lyricist Alisa Hauser have managed to evoke the grime and darkness of 19th-Century London, as well as the hope and compassion in Dickens’ tale.
Excerpted from London Theatre Reviews
St. Johns Smith Square, London
Five Stars!
An exceptional masterpiece displaying the traditional tale of A Christmas Carol
A “must-see” spectacular… First seen in America, the score has been written with a selection of styles ranging from Broadway to blues and gospel, which are conducted by the highly skilled Musical Director James LeLean with such ease, deploying moments of such drama which are juxtaposed with moments of such vulnerability. Filling St. John Smith’s Square with the 56-piece Spectre Orchestra and a cast of over 50, the sound created was so perfected blended, it warms all of the audience in a wonderfully festive spirit.
Excerpted from Box Office Radio
St. Johns Smith Square, London
From the opening bars of the overture, you sense, from the tingling in your spine,
that this is going to be a spectacular show, epic in its orchestration.I love how the different genres of music are interwoven through this production. You have everything from jigs to musical theatre, dramatic songs, to Marley singing the blues with a blues guitar. We’ve got other guitars in there as well, and we’ve got a big gospel-inspired number which just fills you with joy and gets the audience on its feet.
Excerpted from World of Arts for Brooklands Radio
Dorking Halls
A Christmas Feast!
The Charles Dickens Christmas story told with a spectacular orchestra musical accompaniment. This fabulous production was carried along at a swift pace, with narration, strong acting, a punch script, poignant lyrics, a large harmonic ensemble and a marvelous score that swept you along, lift you out of your seat on a magical journal articulately directed by the talented James Lelean.
The huge sound of a 56-piece orchestra was the star of the show for me, no mean feat considering the talented cast and voices on show!
Brad Tullett
Composer of “The Elephant in the Room”
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