Victorian England Christmas revisited

A sequence from the play A Christmas Carol by Dhaka Stage

The occasion was the staging of the play A Christmas Carol by expatriate theatre group Dhaka Stage. Based on Dickens' novel of the same name, the play was a charity show organised by Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel to raise funds for the Lifebuoy Friendship Floating Hospital.

The story of A Christmas Carol is about a penny-pinching miser Ebenezer Scrooge, who cares nothing for the people around him and has particularly forgotten the spirit of Christmas and collects rent from the poor even on the Christmas Eve. He grants his employee a day off on the Christmas only for a four-hour extra work the next day.

Late on Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his business partner Marley, who died exactly seven years ago. Marley, a miser from the same mould as Scrooge, is suffering the consequences in the afterlife and hopes to help Scrooge avoid a same fate. Marley's spirit tells Scrooge that he will be visited by three spirits--the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future--on that night and asks him to heed to what they tell him.

The Ghost of Christmas Past shows Scrooge past events in his life: lonely Christmases brightened only once by his sister's love; the way his soft heard hardened after starting business; his lady love whom he lost because he loved money more.

The Ghost of Christmas Present shows Scrooge the happy family life of his underpaid poor assistant Bob Cratchitt. He also witnesses a party hosted by his nephew, Fred, where the guests mock the miserable Scrooge.

With the Ghost of Christmas Future, Scrooge visualises the possible fate of himself if he does not change himself: Cratchitt's young son Tiny Tim dies but the family remains united in their love for each other and the unmourned death of himself.

This finally changes Scrooge. His glorious reformation complete, on Christmas morning Scrooge sends the largest turkey and many wonderful gifts to his long-suffering clerk Cratchitt. He donates money to the poor and gives Bob Cratchitt a long-deserved promotion. And he spends the Christmas day in the company of his nephew whom he had earlier spurned.

The acting of the play was appreciable especially Jeremy Orton as Scrooge, Clive Ingleby as Cratchitt, Patricia Pearce as Mrs Cratchitt, Harry Gaskin as Tiny Tim were very good.

The set of the play was absolutely realistic using a lot of furniture. Produced by Mary Fitzgerald and Katy Hourston, the three-act play was punctuated by beautiful carols, under Teri Khan's direction, facilitating the set changes on stage. Sally Elliot's costume design added the last and vital touch of reality to the Victorian England environment of the whole play.

Directed by Penny Legg, this was her second directorial effort for Dhaka Stage. Earlier, she directed Dhaka Stage's latest production The Importance of Being Earnest.