“Ladies and gentlemen, this is hip hop theatre, so we expect you to make some noise.” Those familiar lines from the ZooNation dance theatre company gave me a rush of excitement as the audience whooped in response. With the music pumping and our shoulders bumping, the show was ready to begin. Ebony Scrooge puts a street dance spin on A Christmas Carol, the Charles Dickens’ holiday staple, and it’s a treat from start to finish.
It opens with enchanting animations on a screen and a voiceover introducing us to Ebony Scrooge. She’s a cold-hearted fashionista whose family came across on the Empire Windrush. Following the death of her parents and her sister, she’s left to raise her niece Freddie (Portia Oti), but their relationship is chilly bordering on non-existent. Ebony rules her fashion empire with an iron fist, working her staff to the bone, and totally oblivious to her assistant Bob Cratchit’s (Malachi Welch) feelings for her.
Ebony Scrooge Cancels Christmas
When Freddie invites everyone to a Christmas party, Ebony cruelly rips up the invitation. There’s no room for fun in her world. She’s on a mission to be queen of the runway and she won’t let a small thing like Christmas get in her way. One night, Ebony is visited by the spirits of Christmas Present, Christmas Past, and Christmas Future and she’s given a choice: will she make big changes or wind up digging herself into an early grave?
Writer, director and choreographer Dannielle ‘Rhimes’ Lecointe (ZooNation’s Associate Artistic Director) plants her Caribbean roots into Dickens’ quintessentially British tale. Aside from the occasional voiceover, the story is told entirely through dance. And as usual with the incredible ZooNation company, the choreography is the star of the show.
Ebony Scrooge takes us through a history of music and dance styles: from classic to modern, African Caribbean to Western, old school to new vogue. It’s a joyfully eclectic and inclusive mix that allows individual dancers to shine, whether their flow is more hip hop ‘krumping’ (the brilliant Bob) or ‘street ballet’ (the fabulous Freddie). Since the narrative is centred around fashion, the influence of ballroom culture is loud and proud.
The Spirit of Transformation
Leah Hill dazzles as Ebony Scrooge. I loved seeing her strut into view, her glorious Afro ponytail swinging to a throbbing house track, as she serves looks, moves and attitude. She has a powerful, ‘don’t f*ck with me’ presence and yet she brings such heartfelt emotion to the scenes with her dead relatives, that I was close to tears. To be honest, my friend and I had been dancing and clapping so much in our seats, that I hadn’t expected to be so touched by Ebony’s transformation. But her performance along with some of the dance sequences (in particular Freddie’s final solo) got me right in the feels.
A Christmas Carol offers a timeless lesson about self-discovery and redemption. Ebony Scrooge follows this theme, layering in extra elements e.g. the challenges of single parenting, the impact of unacknowledged grief, defying the ‘strong Black woman’ trope, and answering the call of our ancestors. The core message? It’s never too late to remember who you are or to change who you might become. You could feel it rippling through the audience as we rose for the ovations.
A Visual and Musical Feast
I was so impressed by this production: the striking costume design, the seamless choreography, the cheeky puns (Bar Humbug), the dramatic lighting effects. It’s got a local flavour with not only Lecointe but music producer Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante (of dance troupe Boy Blue) hailing from east London. And the soundtrack is an absolute banger, bursting with original tunes that make you want to sing and groove along.
If I could make any edits, I would have had a big dance number to showcase the romance between Ebony and Bob. Then again, if I had my way, I wouldn’t let the curtain drop so soon. I didn’t want it to end!
Ebony Scrooge is another cracker of a show from ZooNation and it deserves to become a festive favourite. Here’s a plea to the ghost of Christmas Future that they bring it back next year. Now let me go find out where I can download that soundtrack…
Ebony Scrooge (ZooNation) is at Sadler’s Wells East, 101 Carpenters Rd (off Stratford Walk), Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford Cross, E20 2AR (Stratford tube/rail/overground/DLR). The show is recommended for ages 7+ (under 5s not admitted). 7.30pm (Tue-Sat) & 2.30pm (Sat-Sun); from £15 (until Jan 4)
**press review
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