JUST when everyone will be thinking Christmas will be over after this weekend there will be another reminder of the festive season early in the new year.

That's when The Exeter Northcott Theatre and Creative Cow bring their magical new adaptation of Charles Dickens’ much-loved Christmas classic, A Christmas Carol, to Malvern for a one week run.

Ebenezer Scrooge is a notoriously bitter old man who is determined not to let Christmas interfere with his miserly routine. But one Christmas Eve, Scrooge receives some unexpected supernatural visitors who are determined to show him the true spirit of Christmas and the error of his ways.

However, they will have just one week in which to succeed from Saturday, January 9 through to the following Saturday, January 16.

Leading the cast at Malvern’s Festival Theatre that week will be celebrated actor, Derek Frood, in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge who was recently seen in BBC1’s Poldark and has previously entertained Devon audiences in his work with Theatre Alibi.

He said: “The prospect of stepping into the shoes of Ebenezer Scrooge fills me with delight. In 1843 Dickens intended the story as a strong condemnation of greed, and the transformation of Scrooge provided an optimistic message that proved popular and is as relevant today as it was then.

“Creative Cow are a young, dynamic, company and I thank them for giving me this opportunity to play the miserly old man. Amanda Knott (the Director) and I last worked together in the early 1990’s and the combination of all our energies will snowball, I’m sure, creating an unforgettable festive feast on stage!”

Ed Ferrow will play both Jacob Marley and Bob Cratchit, Creative Cow co-founder Katherine Senior will play the roles of Mrs Fezziwig and Mrs Cratchit, while Darren Lake will play the roles of Ghost of Christmas Present and Fezziwig.

He has played leading roles in shows as diverse as Maggie May, Tales from the Vienna Woods, The Hired Man, Oh! What A Lovely War.

Also appearing will be Séan Aydon, who will play the Ghost of Christmas Past, the first of the three spirits to haunt Ebenezer Scrooge. Séan recently appeared in the world premiere of Arthur Miller’s The Hook in a co-production between Northampton’s Royal & Derngate and the Liverpool Everyman.

On stage, the professional cast will be joined by a team of children from around Worcestershire. In October, Director of Creative Cow, Amanda Knott, auditioned 47 seven to 13 years old and 12 lucky children were selected.

During the audition process they played improvisation games, learned some dance routines, sang songs from the production and then sang solo their chosen audition song.