Twopenny Theatre

It’s Christmastime again, which means an absolute avalanche of limited-run shows have set up shop in the West End in a bid to capitalise on seasonal enthusiasm. This being London, plenty of them have a Dickens connection: you can have A Christmas Carol (The Old Vic), A Sherlock Carol (Marylebone Theatre), or indeed A Christmas Carol(ish) (@sohoplace), the last of which is in view today.

Helmed by Nick Mohammed (Ted Lasso), in the guise of his long-running comedy character Mr. Swallow, the “ish” in A Christmas Carol(ish) does quite a bit of heavy lifting. The conceit is that Mr. Swallow and a trio of other actors are set to put on a production of A Christmas Carol, but due to licensing concerns actor/producer Mr. Goldsworth (David Elms) has reworked the script to replace Scrooge with Santa. This Santa is exhausted with Christmas, a meanie to his elves and reindeer (“no hay for you”, “coal is for the children”) and just generally not a good guy. “Also he’s antivax!” helpfully adds Mr. Swallow. Most of this is established in a delightfully zany opening number, because of course this is a musical as well (book and lyrics by Mohammed). Here there are roller skates and glittery-gold suits, and intros for the whole (fictional) cast – in addition to Messieurs Swallow and Goldsworth, there’s orphaned “David Tennant lookalike” Jonathan (Kieran Hodgson) and washed-up cruise crooner Rochelle (Martha Howe-Douglas), who’s only there to promote her Christmas album. Got all that so far?

The play-within-a-play shtick is on thin ice in the first act, as the story bounces between the well-known Christmas Carol beats (ghosts come to give Santa a lesson), backstage drama (Mr. Swallow hasn’t memorised his lines, yet critiques the others’ performances), and even some audience participation. The second half smartly treats continuity as more of a suggestion, placing Mr. Swallow et al. in a series of loosely connected Christmas sketches. Why is Santa’s first stop on his gift distribution journey to the Nativity? I’m not really sure, but it’s an amusing  setup nonetheless. What’s clear is that the show is funnier the more we see Mr. Swallow instead of Santa, a development which predictably exasperates his castmates (especially Mr. Goldsworth). But the Christmas Carol setup isn’t completely dead – in the end, the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come still comes for Mr. Swallow, even if he’s not in character.

In its approach to farce, A Christmas Carol(ish) has some overlap with the Goes Wrong franchise, but its emphasis is less on technical flubs and more on situational comedy. The musical numbers add some welcome variety and legitimate production value (indeed, one of the strengths of this show is its strong band.) That said, this isn’t one of the most cohesive stories  in the world, and despite having only four actors some are still underutilised. When the opening number jokes that Rochelle was only brought on so “we’re diverse”, it cuts a little too close to home.

Is this enough to cry “humbug!?” Nah, not really. If there’s any season to allow for some cheesiness on stage, Christmas is it, and even if you count this as nothing more than a Mr. Swallow vehicle (which would be selling it short), that’s still enough to make it very funny, and an enjoyable show. While it doesn’t quite earn the label of “family friendly” (there’s some occasional strong language and broad humour), nothing is terribly bawdy, and at least one young’un in the audience will get to go up on stage in line to share their Christmas wishlist with Santa/Mr. Swallow. Mohammed’s infectious enthusiasm and a worthy supporting cast go a long way in making A Christmas Carol(ish) a show that will put a smile on your face, and give a little bit of holiday cheer. Just don’t go and let slip to the Dickens estate about the creative licence…

Rating: 3.5/5

The Best Deal: Available tickets from £20. N.B: If you get cheap seats in the second balcony on a slow day, you might get moved to better ones – worth a shot!