From the Old Vic’s tried and true Jack Thorne adaptation to Sh*t-faced Theatre’s A Pissedmass Carol, in the year 2025, there’s barely a muppet left in London who hasn’t put on their own version of the Dickensian classic. And The Great Christmas Feast, an “immersive” version of A Christmas Carol now in its eighth year from The Lost Estate, is easily up there with the best.
First things first: if the word immersive gives you shivers, fear not. The immersion largely refers to the dining element, with the show acted out between three courses of food (one ghost per act), as well as the lack of stage (the acting takes place around rather than in front of you). Meanwhile the waiting staff are (variably) in character as Victorian butlers, stopping at tables to despair at the “inclement” weather while lah-di-dahing around with champagne. There are a couple of opportunities for stage cameos for the extroverted but really you can buy in as much as you choose.
Whether you like acting or not though, it would take quite the Scrooge not to feel at least a little immersed in the setting. Staged in The Lost Estate’s usual London base, this production transforms their West Kensington warehouse into a cosy Victorian hideaway, decked out from top to toe with holly wreaths, piles of books and plenty of chintz. Overhead the ceiling is strung with reams of ropes and twinkling lanterns, the latter of which really come into their own for the production, flashing and crashing between a golden glow and plunging darkness.
Most arresting of all is the performance itself, carried on my night by the energetic David Alwyn, dazzling as Scrooge, Marley, Bob Cratchitt, Tiny Tim and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future – did I mention this was a one-man show? It’s a choice that has the potential to go oh so wrong but boy does Alwyn carry it off, with the story told from the perspective of Dickens – oh he plays him too – having just finished the manuscript. It means the characters are exaggerated for sure (Alwyn’s Scrooge is far gruffer than most, while his Dickens is a little camp) but the voice acting is genuinely amazing. A couple modern intrusions to the script – “Scrooge was a bit of an… arsehole” – felt a little cheap, but were at least used sparingly.
The musicians also take on a sizable part of the action, with perhaps the most magnificently-played triangle I’ve ever seen. Without a large ensemble cast, it’s up to the audience to create the rest of the conviviality, which they mostly do with aplomb (though with a notable exception during the dance scene, at which point the cast’s attempts to get everyone up jigging while still digesting the duck leg were somewhat ambitious).
Speaking of, the food, based on a Victorian-ish menu (i.e. heavy on meat and cheese) is good and hot – no mean feat for mass catering – and features some particularly impressive roast potatoes. Meanwhile the cocktails are expensive but delicious, while also pleasingly themed. The Smoking Bishop (essentially mulled wine) was particularly delicious though it did take quite a few attempts to consume (the bowl glass means the fumes gather rather unhelpfully round your nose every time you try and take a sip).
Overall, this is a show full of bucketloads of warmth and heart that feels genuinely special. If you’re struggling to feel festive, this is your shortcut. God bless us, every one.
The Great Christmas Feast is playing at The Lost Estate until 4 January 2026