The annual Theatre Royal panto may be cancelled this year but there is still going to be some Christmas magic in Bury St Edmunds as a new adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic tale, A Christmas Carol, gets an outdoor production.
Set against the beautiful backdrop of The Angel Hotel, this festive production will bring the streets of Victorian London right into the heart of Bury St Edmunds.
Adapted by the Theatre Royal’s artistic director Owen Calvert-Lyons and Ian Jarvis, this production will receive unique in-the-round staging augmented with headphone technology, which will allow audiences to fully immerse themselves in a Dickensian world.
Mr Owen Calvert-Lyons said: “This is perhaps the most challenging context we have ever made a production in, but it feels more important than ever that we make theatre for the people of Suffolk this Christmas.
“This is our country’s most iconic Christmas story and now feels like the perfect time to tell it. It is a story which celebrates the human condition; a story in which humanity and compassion triumph over greed and selfishness. It’s a story which reminds us why this time of year is so special and The Angel Hotel, where Dickens wrote The Pickwick Papers, is the perfect backdrop for this powerful and enchanting Christmas story.”
The professional cast of five include local actors Matthew Cavendish, Rebecca Peyton and Howard Saddler along with Paul Sandys and Melissa Lowe.
The 60-minute show will be performed twice on Angel Hill each evening from December 11 to December 24 at 7pm and 9pm (excluding Tuesday December 15 and Monday December 21). The Christmas Eve performances will be at 5pm and 7pm.
This will be a socially distanced, promenade event. There will be no seating – audiences will be standing and will be required to wear masks. Customer with accessibility issues should contact the Theatre Royal prior to booking.
The Angel Hill car park will be closed at 5pm each evening (3pm on Christmas Eve) to allow for the technical crew to set the stage each evening.
Priority booking for members opens on Thursday, November 5 with tickets going on general sale on Saturday, November 7, 2020.
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