According to HM Revenue & Customs, 4,409 self-assessment tax returns were filed electronically on Christmas Day 2024. A spokesperson said those people “can enjoy the rest of the festive period knowing they’ve got it [their tax return] wrapped up for another year, and can enjoy singing Auld Lang Syne knowing their tax affairs are in order”. But what if you’re Ebony Scrooge (Leah Hill), fashion designer extraordinaire, and you have no intention of enjoying anything but the apparent pleasure of working right the way through the entire festive period? That in itself may well be her personal choice. But to make her staff work on Christmas Day is quite another thing. There is no Christmas tree in the office, where clothmakers and fabric technologists (yes, I looked up the job title) beaver away in white lab coats. And as for a staff party? Nope.
Contemporary dance has ways of portraying a busy working environment. There’s the added bonus here of enjoying the early performances whilst having part of one’s mind aware that these are not characters that are happy to be at work because their Christmas has been cancelled by their head honcho, who has no interest in observing public holidays, driven by tunnel vision to see her latest project through sooner rather than later. There are different ways in which this narrative could have played out – the workforce could, for instance, have gone the way of Disney’s Newsies and formed a trade union of sorts and opened an industrial dispute. But this is ultimately a more personal story, and it was easy to forget in such a bustling and bright dance show that it was indeed inspired by Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, to the point where I wondered why we were watching Ebony in bed, asleep – in a dance show. But of course, how else does she get visited by various ghosts?
There are essentially no surprises as to how the story plays out. In occasional nods to the Dickens story, we’re told what’s been left out. To ensure the second half kicks off with something cheery, the order of the visitations is altered – whilst still in the first half, the show begins with the Ghost of Christmas Present (why not: after all, that’s where the story was anyway), before shifting to the bleak future that awaits Ebony if she were to continue on her current trajectory, and then a joyous look back at the past after the interval.
Unconventional, perhaps, but it works, and the production revels in its radical reinterpretation of what has become a classic story. The show’s message was relevant and contemporary in this economy – the spirit of Christmas is not so much in material goods and wealth (a departure from Dickens’ Scrooge, who attempted to right wrongs by proverbially throwing money at people) but in one’s approach to life and in one’s dealings with other people. It was relatively light, plot-wise, and like an old-style musical, there were song and dance numbers during which story progression stopped entirely. But also like an old-style musical, the dance sequences were a sight to behold.
That’s more than a bit ironic for a show that began with a clarification that it was a very modern hip hop show, and therefore the audience was invited to make as much noise as they wished. For the most part, they were quiet, but I don’t see that as an act of rebellion against expected norms. Rather, this was a show that drew and maintained the attention of the audience, who largely seemed very engrossed in what was going on. The range of music was excellent, I thought, to the point where, more than once, I wondered if the show really could be classed as ‘hip hop’. The sound wasn’t overly loud either. A pleasant, thoughtful and jubilant production.
Review by Chris Omaweng
Meet Ebony, the formidable mastermind behind a renowned fashion empire. Everyone’s nightmare boss, she’s cancelled Christmas for her landmark fashion show.
Surrounded by wealth, style and success, she’s about to embark on a transformative journey accompanied by three mystical visitors. As she rediscovers her Caribbean roots, will Ebony discover the true meaning of happiness?
Cast in alphabetical order
Lindon Barr Ensemble / Bob, Future Cover Melissa Bravo Ensemble / Freddie & Past Cover Deavion Brown Tren, Sent, Ensemble Robert Dunkley-Gyimah On Stage Swing, Ensemble Sia Gbamoi Ensemble, Mother, Janet’s Essence / Ebony Scrooge Cover Liberty Greig Dee, Pre, Ensemble Leah Hill Ebony Scrooge Megan Ingram Ensemble / Dee, Pre Cover Jackie Kibuka On Stage Swing, Ensemble Portia Oti Freddie, Storyteller 2, Past, Ensemble Elijah Smith Ensemble, Father / Tren, Sent Cover Malachi Welch Bob, Storyteller 1, Future, Ensemble
Creatives
Director, Writer & Choreographer Dannielle ‘Rhimes’ Lecointe Associate Director & Associate Choreographer Bradley Charles Assistant Choreographer & Resident Director Shakara Brown Composer Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante Set Designer Jo Scotcher Lighting Designer Charlie Morgan Jones Costume Designer Natalie Pryce Costume Supervisor Giulia Gallon Sound Designer & Additional Music (Dominica Waterfall & Christmas Morning. Writing contribution: Fashion House Pt 1, I Envy & The Nightmare) Sarah Victoria Dramaturg Lou Cope 2D Animation Designer (Video) Andre Pavanello Associate Costume Designer & Stylist (Lead artwork and final collection) Le Fil Assistant to Composer Simon Chue The choreography in this production is a collaboration between Dannielle ‘Rhimes’ Lecointe, Bradley Charles, Shakara Brown and the ZooNation Company. Vocalists Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante, Dannielle ‘Rhimes’ Lecointe, Toni ‘Reese’ Robinson, Lara Summers, Vanessa ‘Melo’ Sylvester Young Artist Training Scheme Participants Andrew Jackson, Xsia Blair
EBONY SCROOGE Sadler’s Wells East
26 November 2025 to 4 January 2026
https://www.sadlerswells.com/
