Birmingham’s BMOS Musical Theatre Company returns to the Alexandra Theatre stage this week with their latest production – A Christmas Carol.

In a musical adaptation of the Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol The Musical tells the story of miserly Ebeneezer Scrooge, who is visited by his long-deceased and equally mean-spirited business partner and three ghosts – Past, Present and Future – on Christmas Eve. Originally developed for the stage in 1994 and performed annually in December at the Paramount Theatre in Madison Square Garden until December 2003, the score and songs are written by legendary Disney composer, Alan Menken, with lyrics by Lynn Ahrens.

Alistair Jolliffe shines in the lead role of Scrooge, brilliantly depicting his character’s transformation as he is shown the error of his ways, with a strong voice and a fabulous on-stage presence. Daniel Parker was charming as the humble and hopeful Bob Cratchit, and Conor Dodds was very sweet as Tiny Tim. The three ghosts were wonderfully diverse in their portrayals: Rosie Harvey in the role of the glittery Ghost of Christmas Past, Elliott Beech had a wonderful debut as the playful and jolly Ghost of Christmas Present, and Michaela Hinton as the sinister and ominous Ghost of Christmas Future, although this character proved to be somewhat distracting at times with excessive movements and gestures. I was also pleased to see Annabel Pilcher and her incredible voice return in the albeit rather small role of Emily, who had great chemistry and brilliant vocal harmonies with Jake Gender’s Young Scrooge.

BMOS are renowned for their fantastic performances, and this one certainly didn’t disappoint despite some occasional timing slip ups. With an enormous cast of all ages, the show is filled with plenty of exciting and colourful numbers, with great choreography by Aaron Gibson, fantastic costumes, simple but beautiful scenery from Scenic Projects and well designed lighting from Pete Watts.

An interesting blend of classic Dickens with modern songs and dance numbers, combined with a good balance of great vocals and acting from an enthusiastic and talented cast, A Christmas Carol is an absolute delight for all the family!

A Christmas Carol in on stage at the Alexandra Theatre until Saturday 30th November 2019. Tickets can be purchased here.

Disclaimer: The Bloke and I were gifted two complimentary tickets to see the show, but were under no obligation to provide a positive review.