A tradition in the Victorian age in England, around Christmas time, was to tell ghost stories around the fireplace. This was probably due to the eeriness in the air due to the prolonged dark period of the winter solstice. This gave rise to many of the classics we study in English class like “The Canterville ghost”, “Between the Lights” or the famous “A Christmas Carol”.
In December, the Folkoperan, in Södermalm, hosted a production of A Christmas Carol. If the title doesn’t sound familiar to you, the main character, Mr Scrooge, definitely will be. A stingy old man who is reminded, with the help of three ghosts, the ghost of the Christmas past, present and yet to come, what Christmas is actually about.
Even though the weather was very bad outside, the mood inside the theatre was very homely and familiar, with young children flooding the tiny corridors of the theatre. Throughout the play, the actors were all able to showcase their singing, as it was full of Christmas carols (pun not intended), like We Wish You a Merry Christmas or The Twelve Days of Christmas, which was cut short as it was too long for a 2 and a half hour play.
The performance was enjoyable and all the actors were exceptionally good, though Ben Higgins, who portrayed the narrator and Fred, really stood out.
Keith Lynch’s performance of Mr Fezziwig was the most humorous, even though Mr Scrooge himself was also portrayed in a playful way, with his catch phrase being: Bah- Humbug! My favourite part of the play definitely has to be the costumes for the three ghosts, as they resembled something I can only describe as: a birthday candle, a Christmas tree and Slenderman.
Even though the theatre was quite small, the production was full of special effects, like sudden lights, reverb, and playback. All this was conducted by Harold Lindell, the musician. This added an ominous atmosphere and a touch of magic.
If you weren’t able to catch it this year, you are in luck, as it is a Christmas production that plays every year around December, so you can mark your calendars a year early and take your family along.
