We went to see Patrick Stewart in his one-man 'A Christmas Carol' show. Never before have I been so captivated by a single performance. Spellbinding is the only word I can come up with to describe this feat of the actors art. In one scene he plays Bob Cratchitt, his wife, several daughters, Scrooge, Tiny Tim and the narrator, without breaking a sweat. One of the he 'Ghost of Christmas Past' scenes has him dancing with himself whilst watching and narrating. At no moment did I ever think '...ah- this is just one guy telling a story' - he lives the story. His transformation from 'Old' to 'New' Scrooge is excruciating, frightening and heartwarming all at the same time - it was the only point when he (slightly) broke character, siting back on the stage smiling beatifically waiting for the applause to die down (also, I would imagine, to get his breath back!). In the final scene of this commanding performance he managed to pull a tear from the eyes of 99% of the audience. 
The run is over now - but he's been doing it for years and I've no doubt it'll play again. If you are ever able to see this masterpiece - do.
Me? I'm off to find a copy of 'Bleak House' and a big cup of tea.
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