Cast: Tommy Steele, Geoffrey Abbott, Craig Whiteley, Kristy Cullen, Hamilton Sargent, Suzie Chard, Sophie Caton, Kieron Harris, David Lyndon, Nikki Gerrard, Steven Sparling, Robbie Towns, Tony Stansfield, Halcro Johnston, Barry Howards.

Liverpool welcomed back one of its favourite adopted sons this week when the ever youthful Tommy Steele came back “home” as part of the production of the theatrical classic Scrooge.

The Charles Dickens timeless masterpiece has been the subject of so many musicals and cinema outings that it is possible for a group of people to come up with an entirely different favourite actor who has thrilled them in the part.

Leading man, Tommy Steele has been a star of film, stage and music, (as well as being an accomplished sculptor, including the Eleanor Rigby statue in the Cavern Quarter) for over five decades that it can be hard to think of him as anything other than a top rate entertainer.

An entertainer that to be honest just keeps giving his fans and audiences at large everything that he can at every performance. His comic touches were sublime, especially at the house of his nephew where he heard his nephews friends slight him at every possible moment and even at the end of a long night he still managed to skip off the stage in such a lovely childlike fashion that certainly belied the man’s age.

Tommy was joined on stage by the wonderful Geoffrey Abbott as Scrooge’s much put down assistant Bob Cratchit, the irreplaceable Barry Howard as the ghostly Jacob Marley and the fantastic James Head as the exuberant and tremendous Ghost of Christmas present.

The production itself was lavish, well directed, incredibly choreographed and above anything else… fun! From start to finish, every performer who came on stage played their part in making this one of the best pre -Christmas musicals to hit Liverpool in many a year.

There can’t have been a dry eye in the house as Tiny Tim delivered his timeless line of “God bless us everyone”. The youngster was part of a huge troop of performers from the Elliott-Clarke Theatre School, every single one of those who appeared on stage acting their hearts out.

Huge praise to the costume department for their skill and dedication for their attention to detail in the actors attire throughout the play, all of which looked as authentic as was possible.

All of this and not a humbug in sight.

Ian D. Hall