A Christmas Carol (ish) with star cast to transfer to the West End

Nick Mohammed’s festive comedy A Christmas Carol (ish) is transferring to the West End this winter.

The production, written by and starring the double Emmy-nominated actor, is a spin on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, though In this version, Santa Claus has cancelled Christmas and is visited by three ghosts who try to convince him to rediscover the holiday spirit. It combines comedy, music, and dance.

The show will open at @sohoplace on 21 November 2024, with previews starting on 16 November. The show is set to run until 31 December 2024, and tickets go on sale on Friday 20 September, with early access available from Wednesday 18 September.

Mohammed (Ted Lasso) will reprise his popular character, Mr Swallow, following the show’s sell-out run at Soho Theatre in 2022. Joining Mohammed will be Kieran Hodgson (Two Doors Down), David Elms (Borderline), and new cast member Martha Howe-Douglas (Ghosts, Horrible Histories).

Joining the creative team for A Christmas Carol (ish) are Oliver Birch (music), Matt Peover (director), Fly Davis (set and costume design), Richard Howell (lighting design), Emily Holt (choreography), and Freddie Tapner (musical supervisor). The band will feature members of the London Musical Theatre Orchestra, with Honor Halford-MacLeod as musical director and Simon Nathan handling orchestrations .

Mohammed said today: “I can’t quite put into words how utterly thrilled I am to be finally plonking Mr Swallow on a West End stage – albeit in the guise of Scrooge in the guise of Santa Claus! Getting to put on an all-singing, all-dancing show like this has been a dream come true and I can’t wait for everyone who saw the development run at Soho Theatre to be positively startled by how much bigger and – mostly – madder it’s got!

“With so many versions of A Christmas Carol to choose from this festive season we can absolutely guarantee this is the only one where all the words, context and overall meaning has been altered to meet my very specific requirements. Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight!”

Venue owner Nica Burns added: “An utterly original and inventive take on one of our most loved traditional Christmas stories. Witty, inventive, funny, sometimes frivolous but always delightful. Nick Mohammed and his brilliant comedy team will give you a memorable evening of laughter to spice up the coldest of wintery days and remember, in our intimate auditorium you will be very close…”

Producer Owen Donovan concluded: “Berk’s Nest is Scrooge-on-Christmas-morning-level excited to be bringing A Christmas Carol (ish) to the West End. It’s a huge honour to be working with @sohoplace, our hilarious ensemble cast and an incredible creative team on this ‘unique’ retelling, and we’re excited for fans and newcomers alike to see Mr Swallow adapt this much-loved festive classic (which he promises he has read). The work Nick, Oliver, Matt and the whole team are making is truly magic, and we can’t wait for theatre audiences, comedy lovers and families to experience it!”

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