Review Roundup: CHRISTMAS CAROL GOES WRONG Opens At The Apollo Theatre

Read reviews for Mischief new festive fiasco, Christmas Carol Goes Wrong. This brand new Goes Wrong comedy sees the chaos and humour of the Cornley Amateur Dramatic Society return, and is written by original Mischief Members Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields.

The production welcomes back director Matt DiCarlo following critical claim for his West End directorial debut of the Comedy About Spies.

West End performances begin at the Apollo Theatre on 6 December 2025 and its UK tour begins a the Lowry in Salford on 2 November 2025.

Turning this Christmas classic into chaos are:  Matt Cavendish as Max, Daniel Fraser as Chris, Sasha Frost as Sandra, Chris Leask as Trevor, Henry Lewis as Robert, Jonathan Sayer as Dennis, Greg Tannahill as Jonathan, and Nancy Zamit and Dumile Sibanda will share the role of Annie.  The understudies are: Alex Bird, Will Bishop, Siobhan Cha Cha, Colm Gleeson and Ashley Tucker.

The Cornley crew battle miscommunication, delays to their set, actors missing in action and a growing feud over who will play the lead. It’s sure to be a disastrous take on the much-loved classic Christmas story of Ebeneezer Scrooge. Will Cornley finally change their ways, or will their misfortunes wreak havoc yet again?

Photo Credit: Mark Senior

Holly O'Mahony , The Stage: Some of the slapstick is a bit tedious, with oversized costumes causing a few too many pratfalls... But it all gets neatly tied into both layers of the play. I doubt Mischief are as desperate as their Cornley characters for a good review, but bravo to them anyway.

Chris Wiegand, The Guardian: The play within the play upends Charles Dickens’s perennial by making Tiny Tim a towering monster and leaving Scrooge even more bitter at the end of the tale. But the backstage story delivers goodwill when megalomaniacal director Chris – too cheap to turn the heating on – warms to his theatrical companions and vice versa.

Nick Curtis, The Standard: Throughout, the slapstick is expertly handled. Tannahill’s Jonathan, as Jacob Marley, ends up dragging a chair, a bed and the hapless Trevor across the stage in his chains. Later, Trevor plays a top-heavy version of the spectre he calls The Ghost of Christmas Who’s About to Come, and demolishes the graveyard set. “Who cares about the review?” the cast ask after the curtain has come down on their amateur shambles, and it must be said that Mischief are probably critic proof by now. But for what it’s worth, I’m a convert.

Clive Davis, The Times: Libby Todd’s set design and Roberto Surace’s costumes are a match for the larger-than-life madness. DiCarlo, who made such a fine job of keeping all the plot lines spinning in the multi-layered Comedy About Spies, is equally accomplished here. It’s no easy job to keep a production teetering on the edge of disaster. These actors know how to fail with a flourish.

Anya Ryan, TimeOut London: Lots of the amusement comes from Chris’ bubbling anger as everything falls apart. But there’s plenty of physical comedy too – at one point, Robert is held captive inside an enormous Maltesers box, along with the round chocolates. And considering Mischief’s global success, we can safely assume that watching people fall over and forget things is more than enough to get a room giggling en masse – at points, it feels like the whole crowd is in hysterics. When Lewis and Sayer first come onstage, they’re greeted like celebrities with massive cheers. It’s still the sort of stuff best enjoyed with a drink in hand. But if there’s any time to get drunk in the theatre, it’s Christmas, isn’t it?

Alun Hood, WhatsOnStage: Not every joke works, and some of them (Robert trapped in a giant gift box, a garish, anachronistic toy kitchen made to human scale that bursts into life at inopportune moments) outstay their welcome. Mostly though, this is an irresistible Christmas treat, and it has real heart too: Scrooge-like Chris has an outlook change worthy of Ebenezer himself and in keeping with the spirit of the original Dickens.

Average Rating: 85.0%