Bella Ramsey, Imedla Staunton, and Paapa Essiedu among the cast for a one-off charity reading of A Christmas Carol
A wintery spectacle
A Christmas Carol has had a pretty starry history already – you know you’ve reached "made it" status when you have a muppet parody film. That’s just the rules. Now, the Dickensian classic is getting a refresh with a fresh cast of fantastic actors who are uniting for a one-night-only reading of the wintery tale.
Bella Ramsey, Dame Imedla Staunton, and Paapa Essiedu will be heading up an all star cast, joined by felllow acting heavyweights Adjoa Andoh, Jim Broadbent, Emma Corrin, Paapa Essiedu, Alex Lawther, Matthew Macfadyen, Tanya Reynolds, and Grace Savage. The West End show will be a charity gig, raising money for homelessness charity Crisis. They’ll be coming together for a one-night-only performance on 7th December at Lyric Theatre in London.
As well as being a charity fundraiser, the event is also inspired by how the work would have been originally performed back in the 1800s, as Dickens began his own public readings in 1853. Dickens’ own first reading of the play was also for charity, raising funds for local organisations in Birmingham where he was performing, and the writer went on to perform A Christmas Carol more than 120 times during his life.
The production has been directed by Bessie Carter – daughter of Imelda Staunton, and fellow Bridgerton alum alongside Adjoa Andoh.
Talking about why this was the chosen piece for the performance, Andoh said: "A Christmas Carol is a story rooted in compassion. It is a powerful reminder of the precarity of life and the shared value of all human beings.
“It feels incredibly powerful to be bringing this story to life during the Christmas season alongside such an amazing cast while supporting people experiencing homelessness."
She added that: “Crisis’ vital work all year round helps people leave homelessness behind by providing practical support including housing advice, employment opportunities and training.
“Everyone deserves the warmth, safety and security of a home and I’m delighted that people joining us for this special evening can help make that possible.”
It's a pretty incredible line up, with national treasures as well as beloved new faces and a bucketload of awards between them. Across the cast, they have two Primetime Emmy Awards, four BAFTAs, four Golden Globe Awards, and six Olivier awards, to name a few. And those are just wins – if we listed nominations we'd all be here a while.
The show will take place on December 7 at the Lyric Theatre, with tickets going on sale at midday on September 1 via Nimax Theatres.
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