Scrooge review: Curve, Leicester
THE low point of Scrooge, a full-scale musical, is Leslie Bricusse’s leaden score.
Jasper Britton as Ebenezer Scrooge
Bricusse’s adaptation is more faithful than Thorne’s and Nikolai Foster’s lavish production more atmospheric than Warchus’s.
Jasper Britton is a splendid Scrooge, less emotionally damaged but more sinister than Ifans.
The conviviality of the Cratchit and Fezziwig households provides the essential contrast to Scrooge’s isolation, something lacking at the Old Vic.
Cast of Scrooge, a full-scale musical
But the score couldn’t be farther from Pickwick, for which Bricusse wrote the lyrics, let alone Oliver!
There’s not a single arresting rhyme or, with the exception of the rollicking Thank You Very Much, memorable tune.
It drags on until one longs to shout “Bah humbug!”
Scrooge: 3/5 Curve, Leicester (Tickets: 0116 242 3595/curveonline.co.uk; £10-45)