A fresh take on A Christmas Carol as Scrooge! Cirque Spectacular opens at ICC Wales Newport

Thanks to ICC Wales for providing us with complimentary review tickets for Scrooge! Cirque Spectacular

Scrooge! Cirque Spectacular at ICC Wales gives the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol a fresh update, blending panto, circus stunts and musical theatre for a stage extravaganza that is suitable for the whole family.

Marley and the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present and Future are here to help Scrooge change his miserly ways, while Dickens himself talks the audience through the action and takes on a few of the roles himself.

Juxtaposed with the classic tale are laughs aplenty with laugh-out-loud one-liners and a brilliant series of impressions, as well as all the classic panto traditions such as ‘he’s behind you’ and ‘oh no it isn’t’ and even a comedy version of The 12 Days of Christmas. There’s lots of audience interaction all the way through, and one lucky family even went home with a £100 prize!

In this version of the famous tale, Scrooge spent his apprentice days working with Fezziwig at the circus, which gives scope for some beautiful and awe-inspiring trapeze and aerial rope stunts, as well as juggling, stilt walking and lots more. Yes, it’s a random connection but it’s good fun and some of the stunts are seriously impressive.

One downside for me was that the stage feels a little too sparse. The ICC theatre is a big space to fill and the reliance of projections for the backdrops, rather than actual scenery, makes it feel a little empty and flat at times. All the individual elements are great – strong performances, the original songs, the circus stunts and the panto elements, but add it all together and something just doesn’t quite gel as much as we would have liked.

That said, we laughed a lot, we were amazed by some of the aerial circus skills, loved the fresh take on the classic tale, and it was great to experience something a little different to other Christmas shows.

Scrooge! Cirque Spectacular is at ICC Wales Newport until 3 January 2026. Tickets from £25 are still available. Age guidance is 4+. The show is 2 hours 15, including a 20 minute interval.

You can upgrade the experience with access to the VIP Lounge for mocktails and canapes for £20 per adult and £15 per child 4-12, or opt for Ebenezer’s Afternoon Tea, adults £32, children 2-12 £18, under 2s free.

More information or book online here.