Birmingham Rep is delighted to share details for the forthcoming festive season of A Christmas Carol – A Ghost Story, Mark Gatiss’ supernatural stage adaptation of the Dickens’ classic (Thursday 14 November 2024 – Sunday 5 January 2025) and The Snowflake, the tale of a snowflake, a little girl, Noelle and her Pappie all longing for their own special place in the world (Thursday 5 December 2024 – Sunday 12 January 2025)
Beginning The Rep’s festive season this November is A Christmas Carol – A Ghost Story , a Nottingham Playhouse Production in association with Eleanor Lloyd Productions and Eilene Davidson Productions.
Previously announced Rufus Hound (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to The Forum, Lido 2 Paris; Wind In The Willows London Palladium & UK Tour; Don Quixote, RSC/The Garrick; Doctor Who, BBC; Cucumber, Channel 4; Hounded, CBBC) playing Jacob Marley and Matthew Cottle (The Deep Blue Sea and The Chalk Garden, Chichester Festival Theatre; Wonderland, Nottingham Playhouse; How the Other Half Loves, Haymarket Theatre and the Duke of York’s) as Ebenezer Scrooge will be joined by a hugely talented cast.
Karendip Phull (Anita & Me and Broke and Sober, Birmingham Rep; Santi & Naz, The Thelmas) will play Caroline and Mrs Bonniface, Lance West (The Trials, Donmar Warehouse; Measure for Measure, Minack Theatre) as Fred, Young Scrooge and Peter Cratchit, Kalifa Taylor (Look Who’s All Grown Up and Selected Recordings of Us, The Space and Noises Off, West End) as Belle and numerous other roles. Oscar Batterham (Noises Off, Theatre Royal Haymarket; All’s Well That Ends Well and Richard III; Royal Shakespeare Company) will play Bob Cratchit with Grace Hogg-Robinson (The Ocean at the End of the Lane, West End; The Snail House, The Hampstead Theatre) as the Ghost of Christmas Past, Mark Theodore (The Tempest, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and Unicorn Theatre; The Husbands, Kali Theatre Tour and Soho Theatre) as the Ghost of Christmas Present and Olivia-Faith Kamau (RENT!, Landmark Theatres; SUNSET BLVD, Savoy Theatre) and Iverson Yabut (Chariots Of Fire, Sheffield Theatres; Pacific Overtures, Menier Chocolate Factory) as On Stage Swings.
Reprising their roles from the original Nottingham Playhouse production are Geoffrey Beevers (The Audience, West End and Broadway; Amadeus, The UN Inspector, Playing with Fire, The Winter’s Tale, National Theatre) as the Narrator, Rebecca Trehearn (Becoming Nancy, Birmingham Rep; Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella, City of Angels, Showboat; West End) as Mrs Cratchit and Ryan Weston (Gabby Ellison, Kiddlowe Productions; Herons, Italia Conti) as Tiny Tim.
The creative team comprises Adam Penford (Director), Paul Wills (Set Designer), Philip Gladwell (Lighting Designer), Ella Wahlström (Sound Designer), Nina Dunn (Video Designer), Georgina Lamb (Movement Director), Tom Attwood (Musical Director), Matthew Forbes (Puppet Designer & Director), Tingying Dong (Composer), Kay Welch (Voice and Dialect Coach), Ginny Schiller (Casting Director), John Bulleid (Illusion Designer), Emily Oulton (Associate Director), Laura O’Connel (Associate Designer), Jason Addison (Associate Lighting Designer), Tom Shipman (Associate Sound Designer), and Hannah Schlenker (Associate Video Designer).
This year’s The Rep’s loved festive show for younger families in The Door is The Snowflake, adapted from Benji Davies’ timeless story, will open on Thursday 5 December, and offers the perfect introduction to theatre for our younger audiences. The role of Noelle will be played by Layla Mehay–Bennett (Spring Awakening and A Man of No Importance, Urdang Academy) and the role of Mum/Pappie will be played by Heidi Goldsmith (WOW! It’s Night-time, Little Angel Theatre; The Smartest Giant in Town, West End and UK Tour)
The Rep’s production of The Snowman (both The Rep’s and English theatre’s longest running Christmas production) will usher in the New Year, returning to The House from Thursday 9 January for a limited run until Sunday 12 January 2025.
Based on Raymond Brigg’s much-loved book and featuring Howard Blake’s classic song Walking In The Air, this enchanting live show has thrilled audiences throughout the world since first appearing on stage almost thirty years ago. Cast details to follow.