The ceiling hung with hundreds of lanterns, warm mince pies on offer as you navigate to your seat, a mixture of top-hat-and-dress-coat-clad actors and musicians interspersed with Old Vic ushers on stage. Somehow, without a branch of holly or a twist of tinsel, it felt like Christmas already. Rhys Ifans played the first of the Old Vic Scrooges way back in 2017.
Dickens' timeless tale comes to thrilling new life as Mays plays over 50 roles in a performance he calls theater in its purest form. Known for his work across television, film, and theater, Mays is celebrated for his Tony and Drama Desk Award-winning performances on Broadway (I Am My Own Wife, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder). This show was co-adapted by Mays, Susan Lyons and Michael Arden and is directed by Barry Edelstein.
Arguably the home of Christmas, the Charles Dickens Museum is the sort of place to visit before the Ghosts arrive to scare Scrooge in the evening. Open throughout the year, they pull out the festive decorations for Christmas and have a special open day on Christmas Eve where they'll be playing adaptations of A Christmas Carol throughout the day. Traditionally decorated in an authentic Victorian style, the Charles Dickens Museum evokes the nostalgia of a Dickensian Christmas.