DESPITE my boss’s best efforts to try and get me into the festive spirit since the middle of September, today was the first time I felt Christmassy, following Not Cricket Productions' production of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol.

Descending the staircase into the basement of the York Guildhall, the audience is warmly greeted by the cast in great Victorian costumes while Harry Benjamin’s Ebenezer Scrooge and Gabriel Elston’s Bob Cratchit work away in the background.

It is a promenade production and we are invited to take a spot anywhere we like; there is no boundary between the actors and audience and this works really well in the small and intimate venue.

Benjamin’s Scrooge is convincing with his menacing and bitter tone towards his nephew, played by Ross Telfer, and his clerk Cratchit. The audience move around into another part of the basement as Joel Bates’s Marley, wrapped in chains, appears from the back of the room.

In turn, the three spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Be visit Scrooge. During the vision which Emily Thane’s Ghost of Christmas Past delivers to Scrooge, there is a Christmas party scene where mince pies are handed out to the audience, followed by some members interacting with the dancing of the cast. Traditional Christmas Carols are sung during the performance, which helps the immersive nature of the production.

Scrooge’s transition is gentle and there is a complete change in Benjamin’s portrayal of the bitter man we see at the start to the redeemed joyous character we see at the end, fully embracing the festive season.

A Christmas Carol, Not Cricket Productions, York Guildhall basement, until December 16, 6pm and 8pm.Tickets cost £7/£5 at simplyspiffing.co.uk