A Penny Pincher’s Christmas Carol returns to East Sussex for sixth year

It will be on December 21, 22, 23 and 24 at 1.30 and 7pm at The Regency Rooms, The Crown House, Marina, St Leonards.

Kate said: “Every year we get requests from our audiences to put it on again. They tell us it wouldn’t be Christmas without A Penny Pincher’s Christmas Carol and we are more than happy to oblige!”

John explains: “The show is a spin on the traditional Dickens’ story. I play Scrooge and Kate plays every other part. You get all the well-known characters – Jacob Marley, Bob Cratchit, the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future… but as you’ve never seen them before!’

"‘It’s an alternative to the panto. It’s got some panto elements in it… Oh yes it has!... but it’s also got additional layers and it’s very, very funny. And, of course, there’s the local spin too. If it’s happened in Hastings it’s in our show.”

The show was first performed at Christmas 2016 and ended up selling out.

“Some people come and see it twice”, Kate says.

“There’s something in it for everyone – young and old – and we have a loyal fanbase who come back every year and tell us they’ve never laughed so much. We love putting A Penny Pincher’s Christmas Carol on because it’s just such a feel-good show. We love interacting with the audience and we’re just thrilled to bits that people actually want to make it part of their Christmas warm-up!”

John added: “A Penny Pincher’s Christmas Carol is certainly guaranteed to put you in the festive mood and, I’m told, not one person leaves without a massive smile on their face.

“We’re putting the show on at a new venue this year, The Regency Rooms at the Crown House on the seafront in St Leonards – it’s a really great space. We’ve already started selling tickets and they’re going faster than a mince pie at a Chrismas bazaar.

“Several people have told us they can’t wait – and, to be honest, nor can we, it just wouldn’t be Christmas in Hastings without A Penny Pincher’s Christmas Carol!”

Kate added: “It’s been a tough few years for everyone and so it’s particularly meaningful for us to finally be back. Perhaps now, more than ever, this heart-warming tale is of relevance. And if we can raise everyone’s spirits, even if it’s just for an hour or so, we feel that’s a job well done!”

The show comes from the It’s Not Us Theatre Company with tickets available form www.eventbrite.co.uk. Cost: adult £13, conc £10, carer £5, family ticket £36 (two adults and to children or one adult and three children).

A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, known as A Christmas Carol, is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in 1843. A Christmas Carol recounts the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, an elderly miser who is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come.