Simon Russell Beale is a joy from the off as Scrooge in this rich, rewarding, fully theatrical revival of A Christmas Carol at the Bridge Theatre
A Christmas Carol
Bridge Theatre, London Until Jan 16, 1hr 30mins
Love Letters
Theatre Royal Haymarket, London Until Feb 7, 2hrs
Rating: 
Simon Russell Beale – an actor normally associated with the classical repertoire – is in his element as Scrooge in this cast- of-three version of A Christmas Carol. Normally the old skinflint is played by a manky-looking actor.
Sir Simon is more elegant. He comes on in a smart suit, nose raised, giving us a deep, un-hammy sneer of misanthropy that sets him up for his amazing conversion at the end.
This is a story of Scrooge’s frozen emotional lockdown. The Christmas novella – 90 minutes’ running time on stage – takes place under a ceiling festooned with chains (metal not paper), a safe and cash boxes, the dusty clobber of Scrooge’s shrivelled, mercantile existence.
Simon Russell Beale (above) – an actor normally associated with the classical repertoire – is in his element as Scrooge in this cast- of-three version of A Christmas Carol
Russell Beale is a joy from the off. But Nicholas Hytner’s production also features two rising stars, Patsy Ferran and Eben Figueiredo, who both narrate and perform the story, conjuring up Bob Cratchit and family, the Fezziwigs and the visions of Christmases past, present and future.
Cloying Tiny Tim is all the better for being a wooden puppet with a crutch.
When it comes, Scrooge’s embracing of joy is boyish, goofy and totally gratifying. The giant turkey he orders comes from the local halal butcher, and the final scene is set in the London of the here and now.
Expect an outbreak of disco dancing and naff Christmas jumpers – a panto-ish note in an otherwise rich, rewarding, fully theatrical revival of a Christmas classic.
Love Letters is a favourite gig with stars because they don’t have to learn any lines. They simply read them, from opposite desks on stage. It’s not actor-proof, though. I saw A. R. Gurney’s play years ago when the ageing Charlton Heston – embarrassingly bad – performed it opposite his wife.
It was pure cheese.
Yet with this nimble pop-up version, directed by actor Roy Marsden and with Martin Shaw and Jenny Seagrove in the leads, my cynicism melted away. It’s a sort of post-war love story conducted by letters – remember them? – that pulled me in completely.
It’s about two New England WASPs who start a correspondence in childhood and carry it on for 50 years while their lives go in different directions.
Shaw – with a slightly odd Bronx accent – plays Andrew Makepeace Ladd III, who ends up as a Republican Senator, a bit puffed up by public office and with the requisite wife and kids.
Melissa Gardner (Seagrove) is rich, grouchy, funny and mocking. She marries and divorces a Wall Street stiff. These two childhood penpals were destined for each other but it never happened.
It is Seagrove who really sparkles in this – a brave, funny soul sustained by comic wit and finally derailed by addiction.
The pleasure is in watching the two actors registering mutual anger, affection, frustration and jealousy as their co-star reads. As the years peel away, there’s an undercurrent of genuine sorrow and a welcome dose of truth.