A Christmas Carol musical reveals lead casting for festive season in Salford

Lead casting has been announced for the Hope Mill Theatre production of A Christmas Carol the Musical, scheduled to run over the festive season at the Lowry in Salford.

Based on Charles Dickens’ iconic 1843 novella, the 1994 musical features music by Alan Menken (Little Shop of Horrors), lyrics by Lynn Ahrens (Anastasia) and book by Mike Ockrent (Me and My Girl) and Ahrens. It was staged in New York annually until 2003 and was adapted for television in 2004, starring Kelsey Grammer as Scrooge.

Claire Moore, whose previous credits include The Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon, Les Misérables, Oliver!, The King and I, The Great British Bake Off Musical and Calendar Girls, will take on the lead role of Scrooge in the production. She previously starred alongside Grammer in the 2004 TV version of the musical as Mrs Fezziwig.

Moore said: “I am so excited to be invited to play one of Charles Dickens’ most iconic characters, Scrooge, in A Christmas Carol the Musical. I am especially delighted to be portraying Scrooge as a woman; the first time this has been done in this version of the story, and I am very much looking forward to working with the directors Joseph Houston and William Whelton to discover new facets of this beloved character.

“Twenty years ago I had the joy of playing Mrs Fezziwig in the film version of the show, and my association with the wonderful Alan Menken goes way back to 1983 when I played Audrey in the original West End production of Little Shop of Horrors; the first non-American to play the role. It was my first leading role in the West End and it changed my life!

“So, far from ‘Bah, humbug’, I can’t wait for Christmas, and I do hope you’ll come and join us!”

Whelton (who also serves as choreographer) and Houston commented: “We are honoured to have Claire Moore leading our version of A Christmas Carol the Musical in the much-loved-and-loathed role of Scrooge. We fell in love with this stunning version of the tale many years ago, but in true Hope Mill Theatre style, we wanted to bring a whole new feel and journey to the classic tale. We always wondered how the story would feel, as told through the eyes of a woman, and we couldn’t have found a better leading lady than Claire. We can’t wait to explore and develop the show with Claire as Scrooge and look forward to presenting audiences young and old with the iconic Christmas tale that everyone knows and loves but told in a whole new light, and of course hearing the stunning score sung by one of the best vocalists in the business.”

Additional casting and creative team information will be announced in due course.

A Christmas Carol the Musical will run at the Lowry’s Quays Theatre from 6 December 2024 to 5 January 2025.

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