smallhobbit: (Christmas tree)
[personal profile] smallhobbit
Because The Daughter was working over most of Christmas - and we didn't expect her to drive down to us on Boxing Day, which was when she was off - she arranged to meet us in London and come to the theatre with us that afternoon.  So we began the day with a family lunch in a restaurant exchanging presents, which was fun.

I've been a fan of Antic Disposition (the theatre company) for a few years now, and one of the things I've wanted to see was their production of A Christmas Carol.  They perform it in Middle Temple Hall, in the City of London, so we walked there from Trafalgar Square, SM reminiscing on his time working just off Fleet Street nearly 40 years ago.

Middle Temple Hall was completed in 1573 and is a magnificent building.  It has a long connection with the legal profession, with many portraits of Lord Chief Justices, some of them going back to the seventeenth century on the walls.  There are some photos here and more information here.  The first performance of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night was seen there.

For this performance, the seating is on three sides, with the musicians at one end.  There's no scenery, and the actors bring on the limited props as necessary.  It was an excellent production.  There was plenty of singing, with the words of various carols being rewritten to suit the plot.  Everything flowed and the audience, who went from children to the elderly were all captivated.  David Burt, who played Ebenezer Scrooge was excellent, but didn't dominate the action. 

It was rather a magical experience, sitting in such an old building, watching a story which is timeless in its appeal.






Date: 2019-12-30 04:07 pm (UTC)
From: [personal profile] luthienberen
A Christmas Carol is always a fabulous story! Glad you had a magical time with the family :-) Interesting history on the building as well.

Date: 2019-12-30 04:22 pm (UTC)
From: [personal profile] luthienberen
Ditto! My brother and I watched at least three different versions this Christmas - it is a tale that we do not grow tired of :D I can imagine, the building is seeped in history and looks majestic from the photos (thank you for the link!) and the information.

Date: 2019-12-30 08:50 pm (UTC)
solosundance: Muppets (muppets - statler and waldorf)
From: [personal profile] solosundance
What a lovely venue, and it sounds like an excellent family occasion - perfect!

Date: 2019-12-30 09:02 pm (UTC)
scfrankles: knight on horseback with lance lowered (Default)
From: [personal profile] scfrankles
It really does sound like it must have been a perfect production ^___^ I'm glad you and your family had such a good time.

Date: 2020-01-01 12:14 am (UTC)
mafief: (Default)
From: [personal profile] mafief
Aw, I’m glad it worked out to see her during the holiday season. Did you see your granddaughter?

Christmas Carol is so fitting. We watch the Muppet version each year, and I like the blending of song with the story.

Date: 2020-01-01 06:13 pm (UTC)
debriswoman: (Default)
From: [personal profile] debriswoman
Delighted you had such a great experience:-)

Date: 2020-01-01 09:51 pm (UTC)
rusty_armour: (stalky)
From: [personal profile] rusty_armour
Happy New Year! :-D I'm glad you were able to see your daughter over the holiday season. Middle Temple Hall looks and sounds like an incredible building! It's great that you were able to watch this production of A Christmas Carol in a building that has so much history. Considering the quality of the production and the setting, I'm sure it must have been a magical experience!

Date: 2020-01-07 07:19 pm (UTC)
corvidology: ([DV] SNOW)
From: [personal profile] corvidology
How lovely!

It's one of my handful of stories where I feel compelled to watch every version of it at least once.

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