Dolly Parton's Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol ★★★★ Southbank Centre | Dec 8, 2022 - Jan 8, 2023


It's 1936 and it's going to be a harsh Christmas in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee! Dickens' A Christmas Carol gets a country music makeover from Dolly Parton and company that is as big, brash and boisterous as the singer herself. Scrooge, who is convincingly played by Robert Bathurst, is now the major employer in a small mining town, and his heart is as black and as hard as the coal that is the source of his wealth. It takes the usual gang of ghosts to cause him to embrace the Christmas spirit, but once again he eventually gets there. This transposition of the classic story to the era of the Great Depression and to the notoriously impoverished coal mining region of America works well to reinforce the timelessness of Dickens' themes and to bring home his message of charity and community. Likewise, Dolly Parton's songs have uncomplicated lyrics and clear melody lines which make them instantly relatable and easily engaging. "Appalachian Snowfall," "Circle of Love" and "Three Candles" all become imprinted on the audience from the moment of their first performance. The whole cast get into the spirit of the piece and Danny Whitehead gives a strong performance as Fred and as the young Scrooge. George Maguire is a fine Bob Cratchit, but if we had a quibble, it would be that he was difficult to understand in his role as Marley and the "Hell' song didn't really resonate. The idea of Christmas Future communicating with Scrooge entirely through music was both novel and effective, making sense of the fact that Scrooge himself does not find his voice until he has embraced the spirit of the season. When he does, however, Bathurst's "I've Changed" is suitably inspiring. Indeed, this is a show that should lift the mood of everyone who sees it while confirming that Dickens' Christmas message continues to transcend both time and place.

Rated: ★★★★

Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Manuel Harlan.

Want to save on tickets? See our Tips page.

When, Where, Getting there:
Map & Location: London SE1, UK

Most Popular

St. Martin in-the-fields: Lunchtime Concerts ★★★★ FREE

Image
Maybe the best musical value in London. The lunchtime concerts at St. Martin's are always a wonderful way to escape the hustle and bustle that is London and the sensory overload that is Trafalgar Square. This is a beautiful setting with great acoustics, and a church pew hard enough to make sure you don't nod off. Reviewed by J.C.  Our score:    ☆☆☆☆  WHEN, WHERE, GETTING THERE: Mon & Fri: 1 pm - 1:45 pm ( occasionally Tues & Thurs)  St. Martin in-the-fields, Trafalgar Square Nearest tube: Charing Cross https://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org/whats-on
Full Details »

Every Brilliant Thing (with Lenny Henry) ★★★ @sohoplace | Aug 1 - Nov 8, 2025

Image
Every Brilliant Thing tells the story of a youngster who must come to terms with a bipolar parent who first attempts suicide when the child is seven. While the boy's father retreats from this painful and confusing situation into a world of silence and music, the child responds by starting to list all the things that are good about life. It is an amusing and touching strategy which the boy continues as he grows older. This is a story about vulnerability and coping with pain, and Lenny Henry does a splendid job of conveying the emotions of the youngster growing up in a dysfunctional home. Indeed, when he is portraying the child, adolescent, and adult affected by this situation the characterisation is completely credible. The format of this drama, however, is interactive and the audience is called upon to participate by playing various roles in the boy's story. It is an experience which brings audience members into the child's world and, for all except the most extroverted, a...
Full Details »

Good Night, Oscar ★★★★ Barbican Centre | Jul 31 - Sep 21, 2025

Image
To say Oscar Levant was a complex individual is probably the ultimate understatement. Possibly best remembered for his witticisms, the tortured comic and classical pianist who once said "There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line" was a consummate actor, musician and raconteur who suffered from mental illness and drug addiction. It was Levant's ironic self-awareness, catchy turn of phrase and brutal honesty that made him a favourite guest on the 1950s late-night American talk show hosted by Jack Paar. As outrageous and neurotic as he was talented, Levant attracted an audience to Paar's show that he was happy to garner even if his guest made the corporate bosses nervous. As Levant, Sean Hayes simply commands the stage. This is a performance that is a theatrical tour de force . Indeed, Hayes brilliantly channels the pain of the serious artist always cast as a comic sidekick - the man haunted by the ghost of George Gershwin and whose ow...
Full Details »

Rambert Dance in Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby ★★★ Sadler's Wells Theatre | August 5 - 16, 2025

Image
For everyone who loved the television series, there is now an opportunity to see a dance version of Tommy Shelby's journey from the trenches of WWI to the criminal underground of Birmingham. Peaky Blinders , the TV production, stretched across six seasons and had thirty-six episodes, so this is certainly an epic tale. Wisely, Rambert Dance has decided to focus on what is billed as a prequel to that story. Nevertheless, it is the narrative aspect of this dance drama that is probably the least satisfying. The narration intoned by series regular Benjamin Zephaniah seems superfluous, and its introduction of so many characters who are underdeveloped will probably prove simply confusing for the uninitiated. Indeed, the personalities of Tommy's psycho brother, Arthur, and his pugnacious Aunt Polly never really manage to establish themselves, and the love story with Grace ultimately doesn't generate the necessary chemistry. The strongest part of the Rambert Dance version is its ev...
Full Details »

A Role To Die For ★★★★ Marylebone Theatre | Jul 26 - Aug 30, 2025

Image
In the world of James Bond, image is everything. So when producer, Deborah, has to choose a new actor to take on the iconic role there can't be a whiff of scandal. But then, just when she's about to announce her selection and publicly sign the contract, something comes up. Although shaken, Deborah is now stirred into action. She is determined to find a new Bond before the signing. That's how all this extremely enjoyable chaos begins. As the ruthless and hilarious producer, Tanya Franks puts in a wonderfully satisfying performance. The tiger mom and hard-nosed business woman is a character we all enjoy as long as she stays on stage, and Franks plays it to perfection. As her partner and frequent dupe, Malcolm, Philip Bretherton also gets it just right, and Harry Goodson-Bevan does a fine turn as her socially conscious gay son. The timing of the whole cast is impeccable, but in the end, it all comes down to Franks, and she carries it off beautifully. We might sympathise with D...
Full Details »

Inter Alia ★★★★★ National Theatre | Jul 10 - Sep 13, 2025

Image
As a judge, Jessica is a rockstar. She sees through the barristers' tricks and their latent, or blatant, sexism, and she always has a counter move. However, as a mother, Jessica isn't quite so sure of herself. She has a lot of anxiety about her parenting of Harry, which she sometimes feels she is doing on her own, and then there is the guilt born of balancing the demands of work and home. For the first half of Inter Alia , Jessica's juggling act is largely played for laughs, but at a critical point her two worlds collide, and she must face questions about which is a priority - mother or officer of the court. She is also forced to question the binaries that have ruled her life as a judge: victim vs villain, innocent vs guilty, legal vs moral. Suzie Miller has written a challenging, and often very funny, play that confronts some important issues. Parenting in a connected world, and in one in which traditional roles have been only nominally abandoned, can be both overwhelming ...
Full Details »

Brigadoon ★★★★ Regent's Park Open Air Theatre | Aug 2 - Sep 20, 2025

Image
It has been 36 years since Lerner and Loewe's Brigadoon last appeared in London. Finally, the story of the Scottish village that only appears once every 100 years makes a lovely return to the Open Air Theatre in a new production adapted by Rona Munro. In this version, two WWII airmen stumble across the enchanted village on a very special wedding day. Brigadoon is an uplifting story designed to put current crises in a historical perspective and to celebrate the enduring quality of love. Its message is particularly apt to our present situation and its rich, melodic score soars with magic and optimism. As Tommy and Fiona, Louis Gaunt and Danielle Fiamanya, the lovers who come from different worlds, both bring extraordinary voices to their parts. Their duets, like "From This Day On," are absolutely thrilling and her voice soars with emotion. The pair's rendition of "There But For You Go I" is also unforgettable, but this outstanding moment is accompanied by cho...
Full Details »

Saving Mozart ★★ The Other Palace | Jul 28 - Aug 30, 2025

Image
In this new musical the life of Mozart gets the Six treatment as the composer's biography becomes the thin thread on which to hang a number of pop songs. The young musical prodigy's issue with his overbearing father, Leopold, is referenced. Mozart's socially unacceptable marriage to his love Constanze and the rivalry with the composer Salieri, are also introduced, as is his chronic problem of indebtedness. The relationship with his talented sister, Nannerl, who is denied a career because of her gender, is apparently intended as a main plotline. However, all these complex issues get short shrift, as the emphasis of this show is on presenting the next pulsating production number and its club-style choreography. Indeed, apart from some pretty simplistic psychologising, there is no real attempt to unravel the mystery of Mozart's genius or his character. For the most part, this story has to be narrated rather than shown as there is a need to get on to the next song. The cos...
Full Details »

The Daughter of Time ★★★ Charing CrossTheatre | Jul 18 - Sep 13, 2025

Image
For over five hundred years, the mystery of the princes in the tower has fascinated the public. Historians and such eminent writers as Shakespeare and Sir Thomas More have long attributed the disappearance of 11-year-old Edward V and his 9-year-old brother Richard to their usurper uncle, Richard III. But, in 1951, Josephine Tey, in her novel The Daughter of Time proposed a different theory, and history buffs were more than intrigued. This dramatisation of Tey's book will probably be equally interesting for that group, but whether it will have a general appeal is another question. Tey propounds her original hypothesis for the historical whodunit in the context of a love story which is based upon the Shakespearean antecedent of Much Ado About Nothing . Confirmed bachelor and detective Alan Grant is in hospital with a broken leg. He is bored and cranky, and his lady friend, the actress Marta Hallard, introduces him to the mystery of the princes in the tower in order to distract him. ...
Full Details »

The Land of the Living ★★★★ National Theatre | Sep 9 - Nov 1, 2025

Image
The Land of the Living tells a fascinating story about displaced children in Germany at the end of World War II. Ruth, a young UN worker, suddenly finds herself trying to manage the lives of youngsters who have been brought to Germany. She must decide whether they should be repatriated to their birth families or remain with the only parents they have ever truly known. She believes she has found an answer to this moral dilemma, but years later, when confronted by one of the children she once dealt with, she is forced to question her past decisions. David Lan has written a compelling work that is both emotionally and morally challenging, but it undeniably needs editing. The production is unnecessarily long, with scenes and characters that should be cut to clarify the narrative and themes. The piece also suffers from the choice to stage it in a traverse configuration, which is distracting and quite literally, becomes a pain in the neck for the audience. That said, the cast is simply outs...
Full Details »

The City Life Magazine | Reviews & Ratings