Greenwich - Sardines

A Christmas Carol

by Kevin Doig | Dec 6, 2021

A Spooky Christmas Joy

The Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College was the perfect setting for this unusual production of A Christmas Carol. The script acknowledged this unique setting, embracing the ghosts that one feels inhabit the impressive interior. Adapted and presented by the Goblin Theatre, this production had a cast of just five and sadly in the programme it did not say who played each part so I cannot praise individuals for their performance by name. That’s not a huge problem, though, as I would praise them all! What a multi-talented cast they are, too. All but the actor who played Scrooge (and having a female actor in the role worked very well) had solo singing roles. They all played multiple instruments, too – I was particularly impressed how they swapped over at the piano depending on who was singing – all extremely competently.

I was not sure if I was going to like this production beforehand thinking all the music would be in the period but as it turned out it was very mixed genre – I particularly like the heavy rock number. When the show started, the script put the Ghost of Jacob Marley centre-stage for some time and I feared it was going to be all about him. Much as he played the part brilliantly, it was a relief when the other four actors were increased involvement.

The performance in the round was very effectively staged with the actors seemlessly transforming the onstage furniture to fit the scene with minimal props and costume changes. The Christmas dinner scene in The Ghost of Christmas Present was particularly atmospheric, as were the sinister spooky scenes. And I loved the simple way we were transformed into a snow scene – I bet the way they whipped out the white material took a fair bit of rehearsing – it was so slick!

I have to praise the actors on the performance in-the-round. Extremely well done. Too often, in-the-round performances favour one or two sides but the staging and acting this time certainly did not betray any feeling of where director Matt Borgatti had been standing in rehearsals and every member of the audience would have felt fully included and involved. This was noticeably the case when we were introduced to Tiny Tim portrayed most imaginatively by a violin (with the bow as his crutch) as the performers slowly rotated through a full 360 degrees so we all had a great view. I’m sure Borgatti contributed enormously to the overall ambiance of the show, but it also had the feel of a genuine collaborative creation.

Also worthy of praise were the technical team who handled the unfortunate sound issues without any disruption to the smooth flow of the performance. Sound and lighting design were both just spot-on (although – minor niggle – the technicians really should tape down or cover the cables coming from the tech desk which are a major trip hazard for the departing audience!)

The setting, the choice of play, the adaptation and the performances were all a joy. Goblin Theatre at The Old Naval College have started my Christmas off wonderfully in true victorian style. I thank them all.

Type: admin
Performance Date: 03/12/2021
Star rating:

Tudor Palace Palaver – HistoryRiot

by Michael Gray | Feb 18, 2021

“Welcome to Greenwich!”

Aimed at those of us who are missing visiting our historical heritage, this “fun-filled interactive family Zoom experience” is a bold collaboration between the Old Royal Naval College and HistoryRiot.

Before Trinity Laban, before the Hospital, there was the Palace of Placentia, birthplace of Henry VIII, and his daughter Elizabeth.

We had a varied group of characters to show us round, keep us amused, and throw in some fun facts about the Tudors. A kind of upmarket Horrible Histories, with running gags, silliness, and plenty of opportunities for us to join in, dress up and dance at Prince Arthur’s wedding. Just like on an actual tour, we could see all the other visitors, and the carefully costumed actors made every effort to involve all of us “scruffy little people” as individuals, praising our efforts at courtliness, sending us scurrying off to find props and bits of costume, admiring our efforts, however feeble.

The Queen, Elizabeth of York, was there of course – her chief concerns were her eldest son’s nuptials, and her younger son’s 10th birthday. We were asked to find him a gift – I liked someone’s idea of a banana, not seen in England for another 130 years. In the end, she gave him the prescient privilege of walking Katherine up the aisle of St Paul’s.

First to appear was Leonard of the Vestry, “observant” friar, wit, would-be tutor and storyteller, forever goading Robert Vertue, the master mason in charge of the Palace works, unhappy at forsaking stone for the new-fangled, fashionable Tudor brickwork.

And Lady X, over from Aragon for the wedding of her mistress the Infanta, who taught us to bow to the Queen and helped us master those Tudor dance floor moves.

We guests were a mixed bunch too: quite a few children, who no doubt appreciated the garderobe and the Chaucerian fart joke, older couples, and, at the end, a curious cat.

The presentation was pleasingly professional, playing to the strengths of Zoom – breakout rooms, backgrounds. Just occasionally we were tempted to ignore the advice and switch to speaker view. Leonard’s inspired story lacked impact, despite his compelling delivery, when reduced to the size of a cigarette card.

Despite the pictures and the ground-plan, we never really felt as if we were visiting the palace – now long gone, along with Sheen, Richmond, Nonesuch and the rest. But we did learn a lot: the Red Rose and the White, the Presence Chamber, the “painfully persistent pretender problem”. The detailed research seemed impeccable, save for Southwark Cathedral, still a Priory in 1501, and not a Cathedral for another 400 years.

HistoryRiot’s five creatives on screen made sure we were involved and entertained every step of the way. As they put it themselves, what it lacked in accuracy, it more than made up for in exuberance.