As soon as you enter the theatre for a Brother Wolf production, it’s clear that James Hyland has a firm and loyal fanbase. Many of the people talking around me were discussing previous productions of his that they had seen, telling friends and family that they were so excited for them to see him for the first time. A Christmas Carol – As Told By Jacob Marley (Deceased) seemed to be the perfect, festive introduction to this multi-faceted performer.
A retelling of the festive classic, the play tells the story of Scrooge – a miserly old man who hates Christmas and resents the poor – as he learns that any wealth that he has in life will be transformed into suffering in death. Four ghosts come to visit Scrooge on Christmas Eve; one is Jacob Marley, Scrooge’s former business partner, cursed to walk the ghostly realm carrying the weight of all his life’s misdemeanours via chains wrapped around his body. Scrooge, through the help of these four ghosts, eventually learns to be giving and loving, and happily lives out the rest of his days as a valued member of his community.
The title of the play had me hoping for a novel twist on this familiar tale: to hear more of Marley’s backstory, and see why the ghost – who has no ties to the earthly realm now – decided to come back to save his friend. None of this really came to pass in the play, however. The one-man show is a fairly straight retelling of the novel, with Marley as its ghostly narrator.
Hyland is a good performer with a very strong stage presence. What could have been a pretty dry script was brought to life by his well-executed use of physicality and voice work, which allowed every audience member to know exactly who was talking and to whom. The narrative was clear and a good introduction to the story for anyone unfamiliar with the book – though the use of these two performance elements also came with some downsides. One technique Hyland adopts throughout is swapping between sides to become another character, so that two characters can be in conversation – this is as clunky as it sounds, pace dropping as he moves from one position to another.
While most of the characters are charming and very engaging, Hyland’s presentation of women in particular leaves a lot to be desired. I recognise that, if a character is only onstage for a short time, you need to make them memorable, but when even Bob Cratchit’s teenage daughter is pushing out her boobs and bum, you may need to rethink the way you approach your presentation of gender.
Which isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy the play. The story is edited to move through key moments in a pacey manner without detracting from their emotional impact, and the sheer breadth of Hyland’s range is incredibly impressive. The audience who were so excited to see the production showed no signs of disappointment at the end of the show – a clear indication of Brother Wolf’s ability to crowd-please.
A Christmas Carol – As Told By Jacob Marley (Deceased), Blake Theatre, Monmouth, Tue 5 Dec
In Y Ffwrnes, Llanelli on Mon 18 Dec. Tickets: £14/£12. Info: here
words HARI BERROW
