A Christmas Carol

The Chickenshed theatre company, with its unique brand of “inclusive” theatre, is well known for its ebullient, crowd-pleasing shows. Its brand-new version of A Christmas Carol is no exception.

Chickenshed’s version of Charles Dickens’ well-loved classic is pretty faithful to the Victorian original. Scrooge remains his usual lugubrious and tight-fisted self. But Chickenshed plays A Christmas Carol in a jolly key, as befits a young audience.

The ghosts vamp it up (the cartwheeling ghost of Christmas Present, played by Gavin May, lights up the show) and the chain-shaking ghost of Jacob Marley, played by Peter Dowse, bears an unmistakeable resemblance to Edward Scissorhands and never frightens anybody, except Scrooge. The Cratchits, with their 100 children all kitted out in warm winter colours, charm their way through the proceedings – although I felt the absence of the Tiny Tim plot line, which adds depth to the story of Scrooge’s redemption; but leaving him out is understandable in this context.

The choreography is fluid and elegant and there is a joyousness about the dancing that moves the audience to spontaneous applause. The final song, The End of It, with the entire company of around 160 players on stage, all signing, is a fitting way to get into the Christmas spirit.

•Until 12 January. From £9. Tel: 020 8292 9222, www.chickenshed.org.uk