Christmas Carol Goes Wrong Festival Theatre Edinburgh 10th February 2026 Review
Christmas Carol Goes Wrong is at the Festival Theatre Edinburgh this week (10-15 February), and if you are a fan of the ever-expanding range of shows and products from Mischief Theatre, or just want some light comedy entertainment for the evening, this could be a show for you.
Mischief Theatre are without any doubt one of the great success stories in British theatre over the last decade or so, and their unique brand of comedy, chaos and old-fashioned slapstick routines have made the company a global brand. 'The Play That Goes Wrong' has been running for 11 years now in London - what more needs to be said!
What then can Mischief and the fictitious "The Cornley Amateur Drama Society" do with one of the most popular Charles Dickens stories of all time, "A Christmas Carol", that has not been done before? Not much seems to be the answer to that question, and a big part of that problem may be the fact that so many people have over the years, for film and television, tried so many variations of this story that there is little left to do here and still be original.
Mischief and the "Goes Wrong" series of stage productions is very much a set formula for any stage production, albeit with some variants, and to be fair to them this, judging by the success of that formula, works very well for them. The problem here is that once you have seen a few different shows and get to know that formula, things can start to get a bit predictable, and "Christmas Carol" seems to set up so many sight gags in advance that there are few surprises here. Maybe knowing they are coming though is an appeal to some audience members?
This show is an odd one as it is difficult to pin down exactly why it is not working for me. The cast all perform their respective roles well, and having everyone play a part in the amateur dramatic society and then having those characters play their part in the society's production is clever and instantly brings in that play within a play format. The sets, costumes, sound and lighting are of a high standard, and even the programme for the show is a cleverly designed spoof for the "The Cornley Amateur Drama Society" with even the adverts having relevance to the production.
Despite all of these positives, for the most part I found that Mischief formula wearing a bit thin tonight, and much of the humour to be contrived, and at times even a little forced. The second half of this show was, however, an improvement when it came to the almost audience participation part. Sometimes too, it is time to take your laugh from a joke or sight gag (or both) and just move on to something else as some things do not get funnier second or third (or more) time around.
Maybe it was having "Christmas Carol Goes Wrong" in February, or just me channelling my inner Scrooge tonight, and wanting to shout out "HUMBUG", but I certainly felt that I had come in through a different door in the theatre to watch a different show on stage as there was a lot of laughter from this audience tonight. Sometimes you just have to admit that a show was not for you, but it was for the audience on the night.
Review by Tom King (c) 2026
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com
Mischief Theatre are without any doubt one of the great success stories in British theatre over the last decade or so, and their unique brand of comedy, chaos and old-fashioned slapstick routines have made the company a global brand. 'The Play That Goes Wrong' has been running for 11 years now in London - what more needs to be said!
What then can Mischief and the fictitious "The Cornley Amateur Drama Society" do with one of the most popular Charles Dickens stories of all time, "A Christmas Carol", that has not been done before? Not much seems to be the answer to that question, and a big part of that problem may be the fact that so many people have over the years, for film and television, tried so many variations of this story that there is little left to do here and still be original.
Mischief and the "Goes Wrong" series of stage productions is very much a set formula for any stage production, albeit with some variants, and to be fair to them this, judging by the success of that formula, works very well for them. The problem here is that once you have seen a few different shows and get to know that formula, things can start to get a bit predictable, and "Christmas Carol" seems to set up so many sight gags in advance that there are few surprises here. Maybe knowing they are coming though is an appeal to some audience members?
This show is an odd one as it is difficult to pin down exactly why it is not working for me. The cast all perform their respective roles well, and having everyone play a part in the amateur dramatic society and then having those characters play their part in the society's production is clever and instantly brings in that play within a play format. The sets, costumes, sound and lighting are of a high standard, and even the programme for the show is a cleverly designed spoof for the "The Cornley Amateur Drama Society" with even the adverts having relevance to the production.
Despite all of these positives, for the most part I found that Mischief formula wearing a bit thin tonight, and much of the humour to be contrived, and at times even a little forced. The second half of this show was, however, an improvement when it came to the almost audience participation part. Sometimes too, it is time to take your laugh from a joke or sight gag (or both) and just move on to something else as some things do not get funnier second or third (or more) time around.
Maybe it was having "Christmas Carol Goes Wrong" in February, or just me channelling my inner Scrooge tonight, and wanting to shout out "HUMBUG", but I certainly felt that I had come in through a different door in the theatre to watch a different show on stage as there was a lot of laughter from this audience tonight. Sometimes you just have to admit that a show was not for you, but it was for the audience on the night.
Review by Tom King (c) 2026
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com