Christmas Carol Goes Wrong announces first cast for festive period

Mischief has announced casting for its upcoming performances of Christmas Carol Goes Wrong in Manchester, Portsmouth and Los Angeles, with several members of the original UK company returning to the production.

Henry Shields and Allie Dart will join the previously announced members of the original cast for performances at Manchester Opera House from 17 to 21 November 2026, Portsmouth’s Kings Theatre from 24 to 28 November, and the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles from 12 December 2026 to 10 January 2027.

That cast will feature Matt Cavendish as Max, Dart as Annie, Sasha Frost as Sandra, Henry Lewis as Robert, Chris Leask as Trevor, Jonathan Sayer as Dennis, Shields as Chris and Greg Tannahill as Jonathan. Matthew Biddulph, Siobhan Cha Cha, Orla O’Sullivan and Josh Patel-Foster will serve as understudies.

The Manchester and Portsmouth performances form part of the production’s second UK tour, which begins at Bromley on 27 October 2026 and continues until 7 March 2027. Casting for the remaining tour venues has yet to be announced.

The production will also return to the West End, with performances at Wyndham’s Theatre from 18 December 2026 to 23 January 2027. Casting for the West End season has not yet been announced either.

The Los Angeles engagement will mark the North American premiere of Christmas Carol Goes Wrong, with Mischief returning to the Ahmanson Theatre following the Los Angeles run of Peter Pan Goes Wrong in 2023. The production will also play in Australia, with performances at HOTA on the Gold Coast from 4 to 12 December 2026 and the Sydney Opera House from 17 to 29 December. Casting for the Australian performances is yet to be announced.

Christmas Carol Goes Wrong follows the Cornley Amateur Dramatic Society as they attempt to stage Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. As with the company’s other productions, their attempt is disrupted by technical problems, miscommunication and backstage disputes, while the performers struggle to keep the production on track.

The show premiered at the Apollo Theatre in London in 2025, written by Lewis, Sayer and Shields and directed by Matt DiCarlo, who also directed the WhatsOnStage Award-winning The Comedy About Spies.

The creative team includes set designer Libby Todd, costume designer Roberto Surace, lighting designer David Howe, and sound designer and composer Alexandra Faye Braithwaite.

Christmas Carol Goes Wrong is produced in the UK by Kenny Wax and Stage Presence. The Los Angeles production is produced by Kenny Wax, Stage Presence and Kevin McCollum, while the Australian production is presented by GMG Productions and Stoddart Entertainment Group. The production is presented globally in arrangement with Mischief Worldwide Ltd.