This refreshing sixty minute performance neatly hooked together my two reviewing interests: music and theatre and, for the first time this year made my feel properly, glowingly “Christmassy”.

Five BPO brass players played musical interludes with Joanna McGregor (BPO’s artistic director) directing, mostly from piano while Roger Allam narrated Dickens’s most famous Christmas story. The effect was pretty magical, especially as I was at the 3pm performance so dusk was falling by the end and we could see the performers backlit by the red flushed lighting on the altar behind them.

Music was used to provide atmosphere and to mark the end of episodes. Allam’s initial entry and opening sentences were slightly overpowered by the music but the balance soon settled. His warm, resonant voice and huge stage presence is a huge asset to any show and the story telling (abridged by Richard Williams who also directed) couldn’t have been clearer. The all age audience was clearly listening attentively and laughed aloud several times.

The acoustic in the church supported the music so well that each part was clearly audible. I was delighted to notice, in particular, the tuba (John Elliot) with melodious lines at the bottom of the texture especially in Es is ein Ros entsprungen, the tune I know as “O Great and Mighty Wonder” which, in Roger Harvey’s arrangement, comes as series of sparky variations. Harvey does stirring things with the modal, minor sonority of “O Come O Come Emmanuel” in a very plangent arrangement after the Ghost of Christmas Past. The Coventry Carol with a beautiful trombone intro was a good moment too. And what a clever idea to use an arrangement of Haydn’s Gypsy Rondo (from Trio 39) for the dance music at Mr Fezziwig’s party.

Joanna McGregor, meanwhile, was adding percussion including drumming, clocks chiming and menacing soft drum sticks on piano keys as well as managing the quintet, playing piano, and composing original music for this show: an accomplished musical multi-tasker.

Allam’s cueing meant that he picked up the story in the same bar that each musical interlude ended so that there was no opportunity for applause so the narrative flowed as it should – a wise directorial decision.

I also liked John Iveson’s Carol Fantasy with which the show ended – especially the unusual harmonies in “Away in a Manger” and the “swing” element in “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”. These medleys are notoriously difficult to bring off (trust me – I’ve tried) because of the key, time signature and tempo changes. This one was almost perfect. Bravo.

Susan Elkin