Halifax Thespians present A Christmas Carol at the Playhouse - expect a cast twist to the festive favourite

Members of the cast will be out and about carol singing in full costume in the Borough Market, Woolshops, Westgate Arcade and Southgate in Halifax on Saturday, November 29.

With a cast of 35, including a strong child cast, puppets and puppeteers and a great family atmosphere, A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story promises to be spectacular.

“We’ve aimed to do this a bit differently,” said director Sharon Old.

“We held a blind casting so members of the main cast may not be the gender you may expect. Instead, we have people playing the roles that suit them. For example, we have a female Scrooge, played by Hannah Head.

“The staging is a little different too with a number of platforms moving around the stage so all the main characters will be on the stage all the time. We also have puppets and puppeteers involved.

“We have been very fortune to have had assistance from Sana Khan, a Bollywood choreographer, for some of the movement.

"Also, two people seeking refuge, who are members of St Augustine’s have helped with the tailoring and sound. And throughout we have different versions of a traditional Ukrainian song playing, Carol of the Bells.

Mark Gatiss’ spine-tingling adaptation is faithful to the heart and spirit of Charles Dickens’ much-loved festive ghost story.

It’s Christmas Eve. As the cold, bleak night draws in, the penny-pinching Ebenezer Scrooge, played by Hannah Head, is confronted by the spirit of his former business partner, Jacob Marley, played by David Howes. Bound in chains as punishment for a lifetime of greed, the unearthly figure explains it is not too late for Scrooge to change his miserly ways in order to escape the same fate.

Bob Cratchit is played by Chad Bunney, the Ghost of Christmas Past by Nina Burnett and Ghost of Christmas Present by Prav Makh. The narrator is Rob Bilson.

Also in the cast are Ruairi Condie, Ravi Ladwa, Emma Johnson, Rebecca McAusland-Healey, Samuel Longman, Emilia Ladwa, Alexis Lea, Bill Clelland, Ethan Read, Jessie Lilly, Sophie Read, Laura Duncan, Lucy Manera, Delilah Hall, Claire Marsh, Norah Cutts, Thomas Naylor, Alexander Burnett, Isla Broome, Willow Cutts, Joshua Read, Zachy Garcie, Atticus Old, Carole Greenwood, Bobby Semple, Marian Feather, Richard Ward and Stacy Rebet.

A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story will be performed from Thursday December 11 to Sunday, December 14. On Thursday and Friday, December 11 to 12, there will be evening performances at 7pm. On Saturday and Sunday, December 13 to 14, there will be two performances per day, a matinee at 1pm and evening at 5.30pm.

To book tickets visit www.ticketsource.co.uk/HalifaxPlayhouse, ring the box office on 01422 365998 or email: [email protected]