Encore Audio, November 2009
This fifty-minute version of the
Dickens classic retold the story in straightforward fashion, complete with eerie sound-effects to denote the appearance of
the Ghosts of Christmas Past and Future, and the sound of merry-making in the Cratchit household.
Scrooge initially came across as a fearsome
figure, implacably opposed to the idea of Christmas, as it got in the way of making money. Hence his reluctance to give
Bob Cratchit even one day off without extracting something in return. As the drama unfolded, however, so his attitude
gradually changed, as he saw his past unfolding in front of him, and how work had transformed him from a happy child into
a parsimonious lonely old man. The only way he could redeem himself was to try and show some sense of generosity; hence
the happy ending.
What was most evident in Colin Lewisohn's production was the way in which radio has the effect of eliminating distinctions
between past, present, and future. The action unfolds sequentially, making us aware of how human beings can neither
escape their pasts, nor determine their futures. They just have to learn to live in the best way they can, coping with
adversity (as in the case of Tiny Tim), while trying to recognize the presence of others.
