THE GHOSTS of Christmas past materialised to transform Yuletide present into a first class feast of fun for all the family at an historical English countryside manor house and its enchanting gardens.
Area 51’s immersive “A Winter’s Trail” experience at Whatton Hall in Leicestershire brought much-needed light and happiness as the COVID pandemic eased a little just in time.
Visitors were enraptured and were able to enjoy the delights of a Dickensian Christmas at the end of what has been a very depressing and trying period of recent history.
And an outstanding public reception with fawning reviews left organisers in no doubt that their great expectations and amazing hard work had paid off handsomely.
Brilliant acting performances and stage set design from Area 51’s wide-ranging skill base helped make this one of THE success stories of a troubling year as punters were led through an interactive walk-through experience in the beautiful surroundings of the country home.
Dickens’ timeless tale of salvation and redemption, “A Christmas Carol,” was ingeniously brought to life by a dazzling cast of actors and singers as the main character Scrooge guided guests through a glorious 30-minute journey, helping to bring out a range of emotions and joy on the way.
Key characters from the 1843 novella were brilliantly re-created in a family-friendly manner with just the right degree of eeriness to give the experience a glaze of ethereal ethos and in enthralling emplacement.
Dancing and carol singing added to this brilliant production which was skilfully scripted by Area 51’s excellent Gef White and was so faithfully performed that guests often gave emotional reactions.