A CHRISTMAS CAROL 
by Charles Dickens
Bridge House Theatre 
26 Nov to 22 Dec 2019

Interview with Broadway and West End actress Rachel Izen who is the first female to star as SCROOGE in A Christmas Carol.   
“Scrooge was not a stingy employer. It’s a great misconception … Scrooge as Fagin, a kind of miserly thief” 
Rachel Izen 
Rachel Izen sees herself as being part of that theatrical tradition in which roles can be played by either sex. “It’s the same, to have a woman playing a role when historically men have played women’s parts. It’s not going to be approached as a pantomime. It’s just acting a role, like any other”.   

Izen has a lovely natural personality, and if at first, she seems mildly flustered by direct questions, she soon gets into her stride. She’s clearly in her element in the role which gives her a larger than life character to bring down to human size. 

This adaptation of Dicken’s A CHRISTMAS CAROL will feature songs and traditional carols. This suits Rachel very well, as she comes from a theatrical background, her mother was an opera singer and her father was a musician. She was taken to the theatre from a very young age; she saw the Nutcracker at the Festival Hall and was taken to ballet lessons before she was three years old. “I’ve always tended to play the attention-grabbing roles” says Izen. “From when I was about three, there was never any question I was going to be anything else but a performer. It was attention seeking in a way, stating my claim within the family.”

The entire company for the show is very mu sical and some of them have written original music to complement the traditional carols and the themes of the show. The actors will also play the piano, the cello and violin. It’s a play with music, rather than a musical, but music is integral to the story.   

The theatre company is drawing out depth of character. “I think I am going for the truth” says Rachel, “but it’s basically down to the fantastic directorship of Guy (Retallack) who’s found another level in the script. With Ebenezer, there’s a different kind of awareness that I’m really starting to appreciate” explains Izen. “Being able to understand his character and to be able to place it into our own lives. A lot of productions seem to miss the psychological side, they don’t even think about it”. 

“What drives Scrooge at the beginning is fear of being poor” says Izen. “It’s not greed, it’s not ambition. It’s that he’s been deprived of a lot of love as a child. In the backstory, touched on in the book, he’s sent away to school, rejected by his father and not comfortable to expose his inner feelings. He constantly had the need to prove himself, seeking parental approval. His condition of self-worth is very low. It’s not what society imposes on you it’s what you impose on yourself.”  

“What you don’t realise is the world is happening around you” adds Izen. “He protects himself”. This new understanding of one of Dicken’s most popular characters breaths new life into him and makes the story feel more relevant to what is happening around us today. “People always say they had child poverty then, but we have child poverty today, there’s a big divide between rich and poor … real problems of homelessness … food banks … zero contract hours” says Izen. “The Unions aren’t as strong or charitable as they were. When you read his work some of the lines are so relevant, so cutting.”

The family in the Dickens story are underpaid and getting into debt. The only option for the family would be a workhouse if they lost their home - or prison. However, Izen points out that Scrooge was not a stingy employer. “15 shillings a week was a decent wage for a man on his own or couple but for a family it wasn’t enough. Scrooge would have been of the opinion, that he was paying a decent wage and it was Cratchit’s choice to have a big family. It’s a great misconception … Scrooge as Fagin, a kind of miserly thief.” Izen further proves the point by quoting from the novel. When Scrooge is asked for a Christmas donation, he says he already supports the charitable institutions: ‘I don't make merry myself at Christmas, and I can't afford to make idle people merry. I help to support the establishments I have mentioned—they cost enough: and those who are badly off must go there.'

He’s not very altruistic and this is important for the audience who want the redemption, but the company believe with a more realistic portrayal of Scrooge, it will be even more keenly felt. “We hope it’s going to work in this production because of the way it’s played.”

The Bridge House Theatre is a very small space which gives the audience a more active role in the play instead of just observing. Izen will perform on different levels, just as she does in the West End, but on a different scale. There is an immersive feel to playing in such an intimate venue which she really enjoys. 

Izen has had many stage appearances from Broadway to the National Theatre, including Madame Thénardier in Les Miserables and Mrs Brill in Mary Poppins, and Mrs. Vixen in Beggars Opera. Recently she was in the UK touring production of Funny Girl as Rosie Brice and is soon to be seen in the eagerly awaited film adaptation of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.

Director Guy Retallack, who is also Artistic Director of Bridge House Theatre, is excited to get someone of Rachel’s calibre in fringe theatre. “We just wanted the best performer. We were lucky Rachel was available and able to commit.” It allows audiences to see a West End star for a fraction of the West End prices.  
A CHRISTMAS CAROL
featuring songs and traditional carols
Bridge House Theatre, Penge 
26 Nov to 22 Dec 2019

Tickets: £14.00 – £18.00

Box Office: 0208 133 0311
Book online at www.bhtheatre.com

The tree is decked, children are dreaming of the day to come, in South East London there is a spirit of good will to all, bar one. For Ebenezer Scrooge, Christmas Eve is the bleakest, darkest and most unwelcome time of the year, probably the worst, apart from the merriment that will inevitably follow the next day. However, this Christmas Eve will be unlike any he has experienced before. Tonight, Scrooge will be visited by four ghosts who will make him confront his past, present and chilling future. Come dawn, will he be able to change his selfish ways? Will he learn about kindness, compassion and a love for his fellow man, and above all - will he see the true meaning of Christmas?


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