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ACT I
Ebenezer Scrooge, a wealthy but miserly man, attends the funeral of his partner and only friend, Jacob Marley. Scrooge is left alone, looking to an uncertain and lonely future. Some years later, it is Christmas Eve and Scrooge ungraciously pushes his way through the celebrating throng on the street on the way to his counting house. Bob Cratchit arrives and Scrooge ensure he is soon hard at work. Scrooge's nephew Fred arrives with his new wife to wish his uncle the joys of the season but is quickly sent away, as are two ladies collecting for the poor.
The day ends, Cratchit makes his exit to celebrate the season with his family whilst Scrooge goes home alone. As he prepares for bed, Scrooge is startled by an apparition of his dead business partner, come to warn his friend he must change the error of his ways and that three spirits will visit him that night. Marley departs and the Ghost of Christmas Past arrives to take Scrooge on a tour of his memories. He sees visions of himself as a schoolboy, and later as a young lover jilted for his avarice. He is reminded of strange and forgotten feelings, caring for and the comapanionship of others. Slowly, he begins to release the things that he has lost because of his cupidity.
ACT II
The clock chimes and another visitor arrives, the Ghost of Christmas Present. She leads him on a tour of places where happiness and companionship are in abundance on this very day. She shows him Bob Cratchit's house where, despite their poverty, the family are happy and contented in the warmth of their mutual love. Even their concern over the lame and ailing Tiny Tim, who may not live to see another christmas, may be put aside on this one day. Then they move on to the home of his nephew to watch Fred and his wife and friends celebrating with games and dancing. Scrooge forgets himself and begins to dance around in an attempt to join in. Finally, the ghost shows him the wretched effects of poverty on this special day before leaving him alone back in his bedroom.
The clock chimes again and the twin Ghosts of Christmas Yet to Come appear before him. They show him what his future holds in store on his current course through life, ending in a lonely death and a corpse stripped of his possessions. Finally, Death itself arrives to show him his forgotten and unkept grave. Morning breaks and Scrooge awakens. Frightened by the visions he saw in the night he vows to change. Outside in the street he finds the two ladies collecting for the poor and gives them money from his purse. Then he goes to his nephews house and embraces his nephews wife, something he has never done, and is welcomed into their household. Finally to Cratchit's house with gifts for Tiny Tim. Scrooge is reborn, into a happier life.
If my own previous experiences have been anything to go by, Ballet Ireland have been growing from strength to strength in recent years. This was only their second brand new full-length productiona and unfortunately it showed. The music included, to me, one or two odd choices, and was more a jumble of individual pieces than a cohesive score. The choreography meanwhile, ranged from the first rate to the decidedly third, and on the whole did not make best use of the talents of some of their finest performers as well as wasting some of the better musical passages. I'm not saying this was bad (mediocre perhaps), but it did not live up to their previous standards and my disappointment stemmed more from memory of their last production than any particular demerits of this one.
The first act was a little slow, with all of the highlights being reserved for the second. The preparations for the christmas meal at the Cratchitt household includes some clever interchanges and passing of plates and baskets, and a charming pas de deux for Cratchitt and Tiny Tim, whilst the celebrations at the nephew's home includes some nice dancing. The action takes place on a mostly blank stage, before a pale coloured backdrop that is just a simple wash of colour rather than a representation of anything. Various props are wheeled or carried on as the action dictates, writing desks for the counting house, a four poster ben for Scrooge's bedroom and table and stools for Cratchitts house. Their are excellent period costumes for the human characters but those for the spirits are bland and unimaginative.
If this production needed a saving grace to make up for its other shortcomings it certainly got it in the form of Stephen Brennan whose interpretation of Ebenezer Scrooge was exemplary. His hunched rapid shamble of a walk, and constant frown were a perfect fit for the part, and his antics in the second act as Scrooge learns to live again were a joy to watch. But few of the others were given much chance to shine although Paula Archangelo gave a nice interpretation as the maid somewhat confused by Scrooge's sudden show of largesse in presenting her with a coin, and Ethan Brookes gave a good interpretation of Bob Cratchitt, working excellently with Kumiko Nakamura (Tiny Tim) in their pas de deux, effortlessly passing her around his body. Rain Francis looked elegant as ever as Mrs Cratchitt, but Agnieszka 'Agnes' Chlebowsky, who has impressed me on at least one previous occasion, was given little more taxing to do on this outing than shuffle about on point as the Spirit of Christmas Past.
An enjoyable piece, but not one that will add substantially to the growing prestige of this company.