If you stir a lot of ingredients into a pot, you can end up with a Christmas pudding. You can also end up with a dog's dinner. Unfortunately, this big-hearted remix of the Dickens seasonal classic veers uncomfortably between the two: there are some juicy plums, but there is also too much that is half-baked.
It is a shame because the cooks in charge are those behind the generally wonderful Hackney Empire shows. The writer and director is Susie McKenna, famed for producing what is often the best pantomime in London, and music comes from her regular composer Steven Edis. They have comic actor Gareth Hale as Scrooge, Sharon D Clarke lending her rich, warm voice to a puppet cat and a likeable cast of actors. They bring a nice twist to some Christmas show traditions, such as the shadow puppetry, and deliver some fresh, jaunty songs.
