A Christmas Carol, Cumbernauld Theatre

Reviewed by Stephen Naysmith, Kester Naysmith (10) Jamie Naysmith (13) from Mount Florida, Glasgow

What is it about?

Udating Dickens' famous Christmas tale which gave us Scrooge, "Bah Humbug" and our whole concept of a white Christmas. The setting is Victorian Glasgow rather than London, but otherwise it's pretty faithful to the original story

Famous faces?

You wouldn't call the cast of five star-studded but they are all excellent and you can play the "where do I know them from?" game. (Kern Falconer, who plays Ebenezer Scrooge may be familiar from Band of Gold, or recognised by sharp-eyed fans of Outlander).

Kids' view: Both Jamie and Kester thought the story was great and the whole show was very funny. Jamie liked the way the small cast told the story using lots of different styles of acting and stagecraft.

Grown-up's view: The restaging and updating of the tale of how Marley's ghost persuades Ebenezer Scrooge to change his ways and learn the true meaning of Christmas was very successful. The staging is imaginative, with clever use of puppets for Tiny Tim and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, although it is less successful for a dream sequence in the second half.

The insertion of selfie sticks, a rude joke about bankers, songs and a comedy snowman helped keep kids interested, but enough of Dickens was left that the story still had impact. Overall, a really good way to get into the Christmas spirit and remember what it should be all about – joy, family and generosity to others.

Funniest bit: The funniest bit was also the scariest bit, Kester says - when Marley's Ghost first appears, he is scary but he also plays it for laughs.

Scariest bit: The ghost's appearance was shocking, and his cackling was sinister

Best bit:

There is a good bit when a character asks: "Siri, what is humbug?" But there was a bit of theatre soon after we were introduced to Tiny Tim which was powerful, shocking and surprisingly moving.

MARK OUT OF TEN: 9