ABOUT THE SHOW

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Mat Jones’ one-man performance of A Christmas Carol is based directly on Charles Dickens’ own original reading text, first performed publicly in 1853. Unlike modern adaptations, this production preserves Dickens’ exact words and structure, presenting the story as the author himself intended and performed it. With only subtle lighting and a handful of carefully chosen sound effects, the show recreates the atmosphere of a Victorian reading—intimate, immersive, and profoundly human.

 

Jones’ commitment to authenticity allows audiences to experience A Christmas Carol as Dickens’ original listeners would have: vivid, heartfelt storytelling that relies on voice, imagination, and language rather than spectacle. The result is a performance that bridges centuries, letting Dickens speak again across nearly two hundred years, his words as fresh and powerful today as they were in his own time.

 

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ABOUT THE PERFORMER

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​Mat Jones is an experienced performer and storyteller specialising in one-man productions that honour classic literature in its original form. Alongside his acclaimed performances of A Christmas Carol, drawn directly from Dickens’ own 1853 reading text, he has created and performed an authentic solo adaptation of The Wind in the Willows, remaining true to Kenneth Grahame’s beloved words. He is currently developing a one-man performance of a Sherlock Holmes story in the same spirit—bringing timeless tales to life through faithful storytelling, rich characterisation, and a deep respect for the authors’ original voices.

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SHOW MARKETING TEXT

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A bare stage. A single performer. And suddenly, Victorian London flickers into life.

 

This Christmas, enjoy A Christmas Carol in its purest and most powerful form, performed as Charles Dickens originally intended. Drawn directly from Dickens’ own reading script, this acclaimed one-man production by Mat Jones brings the author’s unaltered words vividly to life.

 

Through voice alone, whole worlds unfold. Scrooge’s frost-laced counting house. Fezziwig’s glittering Christmas ball. The tender warmth of the Cratchit family hearth. And the chilling, transformative visits of the spirits. There is no adaptation. No modern retelling. No embellishment. Only Dickens’ timeless storytelling, as it captivated audiences over 180 years ago. Mat Jones brings his celebrated solo performance of this beloved festive classic to life, inviting you to step into the magic, atmosphere and wonder of Christmas past.

 

“You do not need spectacle to be spellbound. You just need a storyteller this good.”

YupVoted

 

“Bravura performance...a perfect antidote to the excesses of the season.”

ReviewsHub

 

“Meticulous, measured, authentic.”

CharlesHutchPress