Formerly a singer with the a cappella group the Flying Pickets, Gareth Williams will play Scrooge in Derby Theatre’s Christmas 2019 show A Christmas Carol.
The theatre is reviving artistic director Sarah Brigham’s 2014 production of Neil Duffield’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’s story with a new cast and a new director, Oliver O’Shea.
Williams will lead a cast of eight actor-musicians. In an episode of the BTG podcast, he said it was a pleasure to play Scrooge.
“It’s a lovely part to play. You have an hour and a half of purgatory while the ghosts show you the faults of your past and then you end up with ten minutes of pure joy.
“I just stand around while the rest of the cast are working their socks off running about, changing characters, changing costumes, picking up instruments and generally working very hard.”
Oliver Ashworth and Charlotte Workman take the roles of Mr and Mrs Cratchit while Liz Jadav and James McLean play the Fezziwigs. McLean will double up as Scrooge’s old business partner Marley.
Benedict Salter and Aimee Kwan will appear as Young Scrooge and his former fiancée Belle. Sophia Hatfield completes the cast as the Ghost of Christmas Past and other roles.
Three teams of young actors will alternate roles including Tiny Tim, Boy Scrooge and urchins. They are Scarlett Allitt, William Brown, Fintan Buckard, Primrose Cole, Tianna Coper-Adjei, Leo Fox-White, Keisha Ghai, Chris Johnson, Kian Lucas, Eva Magee, Angelie Pantilano, Lily-May Poulton, Georgina Salwey, Thomas Slater, Lottie Stone and Freya Youngman who are all from Derbyshire or Staffordshire.
Director O’Shea was associate director on Derby Theatre’s Christmas productions Hansel and Gretel in 2018 and Peter Pan in 2017.
A Christmas Carol will run at Derby Theatre from Friday 29 November until Saturday 4 January 2020.