REVIEW: A Christmas Carol at Middle Temple Hall

The Christmas period means many things to many people. But we find comfort in the certainty that some things never change. The foolhardy quest to avoid hearing 'Last Christmas' by Wham; 'Love Actually' on TV; the battle of the chocolate assortment tins (Quality Street v Heroes in the final?); and of course A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Much like Whamaggedon it's impossible to avoid with countless film versions doing the rounds. But look beyond the TV screen and there will be a stage version playing near you. This delightful production at Middle Temple Hall provides a classic example of the live experience.

Just behind the Strand is Middle Temple Lane, home to the Hall in all its Tudor splendour. It’s difficult to imagine a more perfect setting for a Dickensian play. Dickens was a solicitor's clerk at Gray's Inn and studied at Middle Temple. The original Old Curiosity Shop is only a stone's throw away in Portsmouth Street; depending on the route taken the surrounding area could easily be a walking tour of the author's old haunts. The performance is staged in a beautiful space with majestic stained glass windows creating a remarkable hue. With mulled wine available at the bar it could easily be Christmas Eve 1843.

REVIEW: A Christmas Carol at Middle Temple Hall

No other piece of British literature, tale or urban legend sums up the spirit of the festive season like Charles Dickens's masterpiece novella A Christmas Carol. I went to see this production from Antic Disposition at the Middle Temple Hall on Christmas eve and it has immediately become the cherry on top of my theatrical year.

The venue itself was known to Dickens, who considered pursuing a career as a barrister and had access to the Hall for over 15 years. In those times, the building was already 300 years old and the writer describes its beauty in a chapter of Barnaby Rudge. If this wasn't a good enough reason to pay it a visit, within these very walls, William Shakespeare offered the premiere of his Twelfth Night, and the table where all members sign when they're called to the bar is made of the hatch-cover of Sir Francis Drake legendary ship The Golden Hind.

Surrounded by this magical atmosphere, directors Ben Horslen and John Risebero create an unforgettable experience, dense with the scent of mulled wine coming from Bar Humbug, and sparkling with a cast of stars, led by stage veteran David Burt as Ebenezer Scrooge.