REVIEW: A CHRISTMAS CAROL - AS TOLD BY JACOB MARLEY (DECEASED) @ UPSTAIRS AT THE GATEHOUSE

🎭 A Christmas Carol - As Told By Jacob Marley (Deceased)

📍 Upstairs at the Gatehouse, 1 North Road, Highgate Village, London, N6 4BD

🗓 Monday 22nd December 2025

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A MASTERPIECE OF SPECTRAL STORYTELLING

If you have never seen James Hyland perform, you need to rectify this immediately. Following his breathtaking turn in Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, Hyland returns with his award-winning one man powerhouse, A CHRISTMAS CAROL - AS TOLD BY JACOB MARLEY (DECEASED), and quite simply it's another easy 5 stars from me.

This isn't your typical chocolate box Dickens. Stripped back to its rattling bones, the production is a searing 70 minute solo confessional that places us in the presence of a very dead, very desperate Jacob Marley. From the moment he materialises - haggard, pale, and covered in the dusty grey of the grave - Hyland commands the intimate space with a ferocious, manic energy.

The brilliance here lies in the perspective. By shifting the lens to Marley, Hyland deepens the moral stakes of the perennial favourite. We aren't just watching Scrooge's redemption; we are bearing witness to Marley's own eternal torment as he recounts his "greatest success" in the hopes of lightening his own heavy chains.

Hyland's physical and vocal dexterity is nothing short of incredible. With the merest shift of a shoulder or a change in vocal rasp, he morphs from the booming, agonised Marley into a haunched, miserly Scrooge, a cheerful Fred, and a heartbreakingly delicate Bob Cratchit.

The minimalist staging - essentially just a single battered chair - becomes everything from a counting house to a gravestone through the sheer power of Hyland's evocative acting.

Special mention must go to Nicki Martin-Harper's superb costume and make-up design. The terrifying red eyes and ragged, soiled clothes create a gothic apparition that feels truly "dead as a door-nail".

This is a dark, intense, and utterly thrilling demonstration of what theatre can achieve with just one brilliant performer and Dickens' luminous language. It's a hauntingly beautiful addition to the festive season that leaves you with a tear in your eye and a genuine shiver down your spine.

This is a theatrical resurrection you cannot afford to miss. It is perhaps the definitive stage version of the story, and I was transfixed throughout.

To find out more about James Hyland's work and to find details of upcoming tour dates for A CHRISTMAS CAROL - AS TOLD BY JACOB MARLEY (DECEASED) and his other productions head to https://www.brotherwolf.org.uk/

Neill Kovacic-Clarke

All views are my own and I pride myself on being honest, fair and free from influence. Theatre is subjective and it is important to remember that all views expressed are just those of one person.

My ticket for this performance of A Christmas Carol - As Told By Jacob Marley (Deceased) was gifted by Brother Wolf Productions who invited me to watch the show in exchange for my honest review. The fact that my ticket was gifted played no part in the content of my review or the star rating given.

ADAPTED AND PERFORMED BY:

James Hyland

RUNNING TIME (approx):

1 hour 10 minutes, with no interval

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