The Scouse Christmas Carol | Royal Court Liverpool

Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is a classic during the festive season with countless productions taking place around the country, yet what happens when the Royal Court in Liverpool spins this tale on its head with a 'Scousified' retelling, putting a twist on the standard tradition of a family friendly pantomime? The answer is an evening of pure filth and chaos.

In this iteration, Barbara Marley and her son Freddie visit Scrooge for the reading of their deceased beloved husband and father Jacob Marley's will, only to find that Marley's fortune from his biscuit factory has been left to Scrooge, meaning that Barbara and Freddie are without money and security. Barbara is convinced that Scrooge has tampered with the will and with the help of the Scratchitt Family, they plot to haunt him to teach him a lesson and help Scrooge to understand how his cruel ways affect the community.

Whilst writer Kevin Fearon and director Mark Chatterton have formed the foundations of a unruly and riotous adult pantomime, unfortunately The Scouse Christmas Carol falls a little flat in terms of its content. Chatterton ensures that the pacing of the pantomime never steers off course, with the excellent use of Ellie Light's revolving set design transporting us to different locations. Fearon delights the audiences with plenty of local jokes and adult humour, yet the issue lies within the plot of this production.

Instead of focusing on the main premise which has great potential, too many subplots are introduced yet are never fully fleshed out or developed, meaning that the show lacks fluidity and cohesion. Random ideas are introduced and never mentioned again, and relationships between characters are introduced but never really explored, meaning that it's a missed opportunity to connect with the content.

Adding on to this, the songs chosen, whilst performed well by the extremely talented cast and band, do little to aid the storytelling of the show and instead feel like uninspired choices. The incorporation of Ghostbusters is cleverly used as Scrooge experiences his hauntings, yet when Thriller begins to play, the use of two Halloween songs feels criminal in a pantomime attempting to get audiences into the festive period.

The cast, as always, are absolutely phenomenal and bring tremendous spirit to this production. Helen Carter and Lindzi Germain impress with vocal prowess, whilst Keddy Sutton is an absolute riot with great ad-libbing and multi-roling. Paul Duckworth is hilarious in his role as foul mouthed and selfish Scrooge and Lenny Wood's bumbling Bob Scratchitt lends a hand to some great moments of comedy. Adam McCoy has a captivating stage presence and brings joyous energy in his role as Freddie and in the musical numbers.

Whilst The Scouse Christmas Carol doesn't quite make its mark due to a lack of an engaging plot, it's evident that there's a lot of heart and passion from the cast and creative team.

The talented cast and audiences alike clearly look like they're having a great time, and ultimately the theatre provides a great festive atmosphere with their delicious dining experience, bringing joy to even the biggest of Scrooges during the festive period.

The Scouse Christmas Carol plays at the Royal Court Liverpool until 17th January 2026.

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★★★☆☆ (3*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Photography by AB Photography