Ginificent’s latest return to St George’s Hall with A Christmas Carol is an ambitious and richly textured production that makes full use of one of Liverpool’s most striking spaces.
By placing the performance in the Great Hall rather than the more intimate Concert Room, the company embraces the building’s sheer scale—an approach that transforms the familiar Dickens tale into something grander, darker and more immersive. The architecture itself becomes part of the experience: towering columns, cavernous acoustics and the natural play of echo and shadow combine to create a setting that feels both majestic and slightly foreboding, a fitting stage for a story about haunting, memory and personal reckoning.
At the heart of the production is Ken McConnell’s thoughtful and understated portrayal of Ebenezer Scrooge. McConnell charts Scrooge’s journey with quiet precision, avoiding the exaggerated tics or snarling villainy that so often define the character. His Scrooge is a man barricaded behind years of disappointment and emotional withdrawal rather than simple malice. When the ghosts force him to confront the life he has led—and the one he risks leaving behind—the cracks appear gradually, each revelation painful and meaningful.
The transformation in the final act is not a sudden leap into cheer, but a hard-won release, making the familiar conclusion feel surprisingly fresh and genuinely moving.
Liam Scott, serving concurrently as narrator, director and producer, guides the audience with a calm, even-handed confidence. His narration is delivered with clarity and restraint, acting more as a steady thread than a dominant presence. Scott’s directorial choices favour atmosphere over embellishment: scenes unfold with patience, and transitions are handled with a cinematic smoothness that suits the hall’s vastness. He trusts the text, the performers and the space itself to do the heavy lifting, and that trust pays dividends in the show’s most emotionally charged moments.
The ensemble of fourteen is the production’s engine, shifting deftly between characters, street scenes, spectral apparitions and moments of collective storytelling. Their work gives the piece an ever-changing rhythm that keeps the narrative alive and dynamic. Particularly memorable are the three spirits, each distinct in mood and physicality.
The Ghost of Christmas Past brings a strange stillness, soft yet unsettling; the Ghost of Christmas Present offers warmth shadowed with warning; while the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come looms with chilling inevitability, using movement rather than voice to create a sense of dread. Because the show avoids heavy special effects, the performers rely on precision, breath and physical imagery—an approach that feels at home in the grand, echoing space.
Music plays an essential role in shaping the atmosphere. Four live musicians send sound through the chamber in waves rather than from a single source. This creates an enveloping soundscape that rises and falls with the story’s emotional beats. At times the music tightens the tension to a shiver; at others it sinks into something solemn and reflective, especially when Scrooge revisits the more painful corners of his past. The final scenes, buoyed by a warm but never cloying musical lift, feel especially grounded thanks to this careful live accompaniment.
Visually, the production embraces a minimalist aesthetic—dim lighting, long shadows and the dramatic emptiness of the Great Hall. This sparseness allows the audience to focus on the actors and the tolling emotional arc rather than on elaborate staging. The hall, already rich with texture and history, serves as both set and character, and Ginificent wisely resists the temptation to overcrowd it with extraneous design. The result is a production that feels authentically atmospheric rather than overly theatrical.
Tonally, this is a darker Christmas Carol than many families may be accustomed to. It leans into the bleakness of Victorian poverty and the emotional weight of Scrooge’s self-examination. Yet this darkness is handled with sensitivity, never tipping into gratuitous gloom. Instead, it deepens the story’s central message: that empathy, generosity and human connection can bloom even in the hardest of hearts. While the intensity may be a little much for very young children, audiences seeking a more thoughtful, less sugar-coated interpretation will likely find this version deeply rewarding.
What ultimately makes this production stand out is its sincerity. Ginificent approaches Dickens’ story not as a festive romp but as a moral and emotional journey, one rooted in the shadows as much as the light. The choice of venue, the live music, the careful performances and the measured pacing all contribute to a Christmas Carol that feels both reverent and alive. It is, in the best sense, a ghost story with purpose—a tale about the possibility of change, told with gravity, heart and a respect for the story’s emotional truth.
A compelling, immersive and emotionally resonant retelling of A Christmas Carol, elevated by strong performances, atmospheric music and the haunting splendour of St George’s Hall. A distinctive and memorable addition to Liverpool’s festive theatre season.
Ginificent’s A Christmas Carol
St George’s Hall
Until 24 December
Tickets
