Martin Ball is playing Scrooge in Ciaran McConville’s production of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens at the Rose Theatre Kingston.
Martin recently completed a two year run as Monsieur André in the West End production of The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre after originating the role of Horace Hardwick in Top Hat at the Aldwych Theatre.
His extensive theatre credits also include: Thénardier in Les Misérables (West End), George Banks in Mary Poppins (national tour), Dr. Dillamond in Wicked (original West End cast), Harry Bright in Mamma Mia (West End), Dead Funny (Nottingham Playhouse), Charley’s Aunt (Sheffield Crucible), The Taming of the Shrew (Nuffield Southampton) and The Importance of Being Earnest (national tour).
On screen Martin has appeared in Doomsday, Pappadopolous & Son, Flood, Ali G Indahouse, Bernard’s Watch, Home Farm Twins, Keeping Mum, Chalk, Little Lord Fauntleroy, Down To Earth, My Family and The Thick of It to name but a few.
I recently spoke to Martin about approaching A Christmas Carol with a fresh pair of eyes, why reading the script left him with tears streaming down his cheeks plus his experiences in The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables and Top Hat…
What drew you to this production of A Christmas Carol?
I don’t really remember A Christmas Carol, it wasn’t part of my childhood for some reason. I think I thought it was probably ‘just a bit dull’ and I had never seen any of the films either. When Ciaran (McConville, director & adapter) sent me the script I read it and was blown away by what a lovely story it is. Although I would probably have been able to briefly describe the plot, I came to it with fresh eyes. I sat there and, as I got to the end, tears were running down my cheeks. I thought it was absolutely delightful and wanted to be a part of it.
