A Christmas Carol

Dressed in “civvies” in the storage room at The Capitol, Jack Lane and David Benson are ready to tread the boards once again. The actors are scheduled to perform their adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic novel, A Christmas Carol, over the festive period. After the cancellation of the pantomime, the two-man show has been moved from the Studio to the Main Theatre, where social distancing will dramatically reduce capacity.

Like the venue itself, Jack and David are hoping no further restrictions are imposed to make a barely tenable situation for the entertainment industry even harder. AAH spoke to Horsham resident Jack and London-based David about the production…

Where did the two of you meet? David: At The Capitol Horsham on September 17, 2015. It was Jack’s first performance of his one-man show, Wisdom of a Fool, about the life of Norman Wisdom. I was practically ordered to come down by the great musical director and producer, Kenny Clayton. He said, “There’s a young man I've been working with and you should see his show.” I did and was quite overwhelmed!

What came of that first encounter? David: I knew we could work together as our talents and skills are well matched. I do a show about Kenneth Williams, much like Jack’s production on Norman Wisdom, and I had the idea to adapt radio broadcasts of Dad's Army as a stage show. I’m obsessed with old comedy like The Goon Show and Sergeant Bilko, and would often slip a medley of Dad's Army material into my Kenneth Williams show. It was what people talked about during the interval, so it seemed a good idea to pursue it.

So, Jack got the call? Jack: I’m also a huge Dad's Army fan and was listening to the broadcasts when I was six! We have similar comedy interests, although we’re from different generations. We’ve been putting on the Dad’s Army show for three years now and it’s been a blast. It takes a while to build a connection on-stage, but now we’re so in tune with one another that when you start thinking about other productions, like A Christmas Carol, you can build a clearer picture.

Is it difficult to adapt? Jack: The amount of time Dickens gives to describing characters is astonishing. He’s done the work for you. They are incredible characters and he digs deep into your soul with the story. Dickens found writing it emotional and would cry his eyes out at times. You do feel that reading it.

Scrooge himself is a very dark character… David: I don't even know who I am when I'm playing Scrooge. It’s not me! It’s hard to perform the role without getting emotional. The scene where he shouts at Bob Cratchit is so intense, as he’s just vile. Yet there’s a message for all the nice people with money and lovely Christmas dinners, to think about others going hungry. There are more people like that now because they’ve lost their jobs. This story has never been more relevant. Dickens reminds us that what happens to Bob Cratchit could happen to us.

You’ll be in the Main Theatre… Jack: In the Studio, we could give a beautiful, intimate show and we want to somehow retain that. We won’t resort to gimmicks, although there will be subtle embellishments. Generally, it’s the same show people loved last year, when we did a three-week run with shows selling out.

We’re living in a very different world now, though… Jack: Yes, but the wonderful thing is that The Capitol is ready to go. It's heartbreaking that actors are going through such a terrible time and I have survivor’s guilt for having something to do. We want The Capitol to make money too as it’s close to my heart. I work here, my cinematic posters are up in the bar and we both own paintings of comedy icons that are displayed here. We want this place to remain open!

Does it help being a small production? Jack: We’re fortunate in that our production doesn’t require a huge set, large cast or band. We may see an era of small-scale shows. National theatres could struggle because big productions involve big money, whereas regionals offering scaled-down shows stand a better chance.

What’s next in the pipeline? David: There are 13 episodes of Dad’s Army that haven’t been adapted for radio and writer Nigel McCrery (Silent Witness/ New Tricks) is looking at them, potentially to record. We are always looking out for projects, but work is scarce. Right now, we’re excited to be back in Horsham and the show’s going to be amazing.

Photos: Toby Phillips Photography

Words: Ben Morris

Ticket Information A Christmas Carol is showing on select dates from 11 - 29 December 2020. Tickets £18 from (01403) 750220 or www.thecapitolhorsham.com