A Christmas Carol - a Solo Dramatic Reading With David Mansel

David Mansel brings A Christmas Carol to The Lantern Theatre on Saturday 19 December, with two performances on the one day: a matinee at 14:30 and an evening show at 20:00. It's a solo dramatic reading of Charles Dickens' classic, carefully abridged from the original text and presented with clarity and warmth. Mansel, whose career has spanned theatre, television and radio, strips the story back to its essentials, focusing on Dickens's language, his characters and the moral weight of the tale. He describes it as storytelling in its purest form.

Because it's a reading rather than a full production, the focus stays on the words themselves. The abridgment keeps the core of the story intact, so you get the full arc of Scrooge's transformation without the padding. It's the kind of thing that works best when you can really hear the voice behind it, and Mansel's background across stage and screen means he knows how to hold a room with just his voice.

The reading runs 95 minutes, with an interval of mulled wine and mince pies in between. That break is part of the experience, a bit of proper Christmas cheer to stretch your legs before the second half. Between the two showtimes, you can choose the afternoon or the evening, so it fits around your day.

Tickets are £14.00, and you'll find The Lantern Theatre at 77 St James's Street, Brighton, BN2 1PA. With the matinee at 14:30 and the evening at 20:00, it's a good one to keep in mind for a Saturday afternoon or night in December.