Bah,Humbug! is this year’s, now regular, seasonal offering at the Lyric Theatre from comedy writers and performers Grimes & McKee. Surprisingly, I haven’t been to one of their shows before but have heard good things so was looking forward to getting into the Christmas spirit with a good chuckle. A wee mulled wine before going in also helps get the festive spirits flowing. Speaking of festive spirits, this year’s show is a contemporary re-imagining of “A Christmas Carol” so I know festive spirits, of past, present, and future are abound.
Ebeneezer Scrooge is the richest property developer in Belfast. And the most tight-fisted. He knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. Not for him the false bonhomie and forced jollity of the Christmas season. Scrooge has money to make; his latest batch of hastily built and poorly finished apartments are going on sale on Boxing Day and so what if people have to camp out on the street to try and get on the list for one? But Scrooge has an unsettling visit from his former business partner Jacob Marley. Unsettling because Marley has been dead for ten years.
Using the backdrop of an over-eager money grabbing property developer who is intent on “re-imagining” the Cathedral Quarter and sees no point in the arts makes for a very clever and relatable way to bring this to the modern audience. The jokes are funny and the song and dance numbers can’t help but tickle your festive funny bone. One scene with an all singing, all dancing British soldier during the troubles being the ghost of Christmas past, was a particular favourite of mine. A few of the usual “youse ‘uns” Belfast jokes creep in but never outstay their welcome, and with a 2hr 10 mins (+20 minute break) there’s plenty of time to fill.
The play itself only uses 5 actors, with each, bar Ebenezer Scrooge who is on stage at all times, playing multiple parts. A credit to the actors too for inhabiting and giving warmth and depth to these characters, whilst still maintaining the comedy and keeping the laughs coming. Bah, Humbug! Is a worthy tribute to the original play but at the same time bringing it up to date and adding that truckload of Northern Irish Humour that has made Grimes and McKee such a mainstay in these parts.
Bah, Humbug! is on until the 5th Jan with tickets at £22.50. Full details here.
