In aid of the Lord Mayor’s Appeal, the Egyptian Room at the
Mansion House was the setting for “A City Scrooge” performed by the renowned
actor, Simon Callow. As keen fans of Charles Dickens, the Mistress and I were
pleased to attend.
On arrival we were offered “Scrooge’s refreshments” – a
glass of cold water and a dry biscuit. Not quite the standard one expects at
the Mansion House but very much in keeping with the theme of the evening! We
then took our places to await the entertainment.
After a few words of welcome from the Lord Mayor, Mr Callow
took to the rostrum. What followed was a virtuoso performance from one of the
UK’s finest actors and – without any shadow of a doubt – an unashamed Dickens
expert. Starting first with a brief background to his early life, his very poor
upbringing and periods of the utmost poverty (his father was in a debtor’s
prison for a while) Mr Callow went on the describe how A Christmas Carol came to be written and the motivation behind it.
Dickens it seems was a man very much aware of the social
injustice of the Victorian world and the great divide between the ‘haves’ and
the ‘have-not’s’. His moral compass was well tuned, partly as a result of his
childhood. Whilst not a Socialist in the accepted sense, he was scrupulous in
regarding everyone as an equal and no one was worthy of better treatment than
anyone else. These are themes that echo across every page of the novel.
Mr Callow then went on to read large portions of the story,
assuming each character with utmost finesse and charm. It was a scintillating
experience and done with such style and aplomb. The audience were captivated.
After what seemed only a few minutes but was in fact an
hour, Mr Callow left the room to rapturous applause. Then followed the more
familiar hospitality of the Lord Mayor with a drink’s reception and canapés.
There was also a prize raffle and a chance to purchase some Lord Mayor endorsed
products, all proceeds of which went to his three charities – Place2Be, OnSide
and the Samaritans.
A wonderful evening and our thanks must go to the Lord Mayor
and his team but especially to Simon Callow. Bah Humbug!
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