Harry steps in so Castle Players show can go on

REVIEW 

THE Castle Players delivered a festive treat when they performed an entertaining and enjoyable take on A Christmas Carol.

And it came just a few days after the director feared the show was “heading into oblivion”.

It was more a case of bleak mid-winter than ding dong merrily when Jon Smith, who had thrown his heart and soul into playing Scrooge, was hit by a nasty virus.

It was a big disappointment for Mr Smith, a retired journalist with an astounding talent of turning his hand to almost anything.

“I was pretty sure our Christmas Carol was heading into oblivion,” director Mary Stastny said.

For two days, the play had no lead role – until Castle Player Harry French stuck his hand up with just five rehearsals remaining.

Anyone worried about there being a lack of time to do the iconic part justice need not have worried. Mr French was superb at The Witham on Saturday – as were the rest of the cast, especially the younger members who ensured that the retelling of Dickens’ most popular story was appreciated by all those present.

There was a healthy dose of audience interaction with children throwing fluffy “snowballs”, pulling crackers with the cast and a few being pulled to the stage to take part in dancing – including yours truly.

All the best heartwarming stories – A Christmas Carol, It’s a Wonderful Life et al – take the audience down before bringing them back up again.

It’s not an easy task on stage but with help from Peter Cockerill, who played the booming ghost of Marley, this the Castle Players did.

Laura Shaw’s lovely performances, the best of which was Mrs Cratchit, were memorable, as were those of Cal Baker. He was brilliant as the young Scrooge.

Angus Wheeler, Susannah Handley, Esme Berend, Emma Kitson and Freddie Baker can all be justifiably proud of their efforts. Tiny Tim was played by Jack Nelson, who showed plenty of talent.

Special mention should be made of Ben French, whose performance of an urchin caught the audience’s attention early on.

It was a shorter production that normal for the Players but the brevity suited the interpretation and would have been an advantage with so many children involved.

Anyone who wants more can buy tickets for Oliver Twist, which the Castle Players is performing in January.

The beautiful sounds made by the Dalesiders complemented the play beautifully. Needless to say, none of this would have been possible without those behind the scenes creating the costumes, sorting the lights and props, and creating the set – just a few of the many tasks involved in a community theatre production.

But the last word should go to the stand-in Scrooge, as Mrs Stastny said in her show notes: “He has saved the show and did it with single-minded dedication, absurd modesty and lashings of energy and good humour. We are all supremely grateful.” Hear, hear.