All-star charity reading of A Christmas Carol set for the West End

Adjoa Andoh, Jim Broadbent, Emma Corrin, Paapa Essiedu, Alex Lawther, Matthew Macfadyen, Bella Ramsey, Tanya Reynolds, Imelda Staunton and Grace Savage are among the cast announced for a one-night-only live reading of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol in aid of Crisis.

The performance will take place at the Lyric Theatre in London on Monday 7 December, with Bridgerton actor Bessie Carter directing.

The reading will bring together actors from stage and screen to perform Dickens’ festive classic. All funds raised from the performance will support Crisis and its work with people experiencing homelessness, including providing housing advice, employment opportunities and training.

The event takes inspiration from Dickens’ own public readings of A Christmas Carol. He began performing the story publicly in 1853, with his first reading held as a charity event in Birmingham. Dickens subsequently performed the story more than 120 times during his lifetime.

Carter, who is also a Crisis supporter, said: “Many families across Great Britain today are faced with the same issues that Charles Dickens talks about in A Christmas Carol – having to choose between a hot meal or a roof over their head. When I read this story again in preparation for this, I was struck by the fact that this was written almost 200 years ago and yet the message within it is still so prevalent today.

“With the help of Charles Dickens, we are going to put together an unforgettable evening, with the money raised helping Crisis provide vital support so people can leave homelessness behind.”

Andoh, who also supports Crisis, added: “A Christmas Carol is a story rooted in compassion. It is a powerful reminder of the precarity of life and the shared value of all human beings.

“It feels incredibly powerful to be bringing this story to life during the Christmas season alongside such an amazing cast while supporting people experiencing homelessness.”

Crisis chief executive Matt Downie said the charity was “incredibly grateful” to Carter, the cast and audiences supporting the performance.

“Nearly two centuries ago, Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol to remind society that people facing hardship should be met with compassion, generosity and companionship during the festive season,” he said.

“Yet right now, hundreds of thousands of people have nowhere to call home – from people spending night after night on our streets to families stuck in temporary accommodation for months or even years on end.”

Tickets go on sale at 12pm on Tuesday 1 September, with the performance taking place at the Lyric Theatre on 7 December.