From The Lost Spells to Christmas Spirits: Goblin Theatre Returns
This Christmas, we’re welcoming some familiar faces back to Theatre by the Lake as Goblin Theatre returns to Keswick with a wonderfully spooky, musical reimagining of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
At the heart of this new adaptation is writer Matt Borgatti, founder of Goblin Theatre, whose imaginative approach to storytelling has delighted audiences across the UK, including here in Keswick.
From the magical world of The Lost Spells in 2023 to the ghosts of Christmas past, present and yet to come, Matt and the Goblin team have a special talent for bringing stories to life through original music, inventive theatre and a generous helping of imagination.
We caught up with Matt to discover how this much-loved Christmas classic has evolved, why music is so important to Goblin’s storytelling and what makes returning to Theatre by the Lake so special.
A little Goblin magic
Founded by Matt in 2013, Goblin Theatre has grown into an acclaimed company creating imaginative, music-filled productions for audiences of all ages.
Together with composers Mary Erskine and Will Dollard, Matt has helped establish Goblin’s distinctive theatrical style, combining original music, playful storytelling and rich visual worlds.
Their productions have been performed at some of the UK’s leading venues, including London’s Southbank Centre and Royal Albert Hall, the Royal Exchange in Manchester, Polka Theatre and Little Angel Theatre.
Matt’s own career extends beyond Goblin. As a writer, director and creative producer specialising in work for young audiences, he has held roles including Senior Producer at Polka Theatre and Youth and Families Producer at The Place. He is also a Stage One bursary recipient and has participated in the Stage One UK/US Producers Exchange with Columbia University.
But there’s something particularly special about Goblin’s relationship with Theatre by the Lake.
Over the years, audiences have enjoyed the company’s festive Studio productions, including The Ballad of Rudy, The Jazz Penguin and Hey Diddle Diddle. In 2023, Goblin brought the enchanting musical adaptation of Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris’s The Lost Spells to our Main House, in a co-production with Watford Palace Theatre and Polka Theatre.
Now they’re back, bringing their signature musical magic to one of the world’s best-loved Christmas stories.
A Christmas Carol with a ghostly twist
For Matt, adapting Dickens’ classic has been a creative journey, with the production evolving through several versions into what he describes as a “spooky, fun, musical, heartfelt” retelling. While remaining faithful to the characters and spirit of the original, this version introduces a wonderfully theatrical twist.
It’s midnight on Christmas Eve, and audiences are invited to a haunted carol service, where a ghostly choir and the spirits of Christmas are determined to save the soul of Ebenezer Scrooge. And in this version, Jacob Marley has a particularly important part to play, orchestrating the extraordinary events that might just change his old business partner’s life forever.
As Matt explains: “It’s important that people still feel they’re getting the Christmas Carol they know. But we wanted to find a way to tell it that feels immediate, immersive and alive.”
It’s a fresh approach that embraces the darker, more mysterious side of Dickens’ writing without losing the humour, warmth and festive joy that make the story so enduring.
Where words leave off, music takes over
One of Goblin Theatre’s defining qualities is its innovative use of original music. Rather than treating music as an addition to the story, Matt, Mary and Will develop the text and music together, allowing songs, sounds and harmonies to shape the storytelling from the very beginning.
“Music is at the heart of everything we do. It allows you to say things that words can’t — it carries emotion, atmosphere, and meaning in a completely different way.”
In A Christmas Carol, that approach is brought vividly to life by a talented cast of seven actor-musicians, performing original songs and music live on stage. With haunting harmonies, atmospheric musical moments and a ghostly choir at the centre of the story, music becomes part of the magic that transports Scrooge through his past, present and future.
Add puppetry, inventive theatrical storytelling and a little Goblin mischief, and this is a Christmas Carol that promises plenty of surprises.
A Scrooge we might recognise
For all its supernatural encounters, A Christmas Carol remains a deeply human story. Matt’s adaptation explores the experiences that have shaped Scrooge into the man he has become, presenting him not simply as a Christmas-hating caricature, but as someone recognisable, flawed and capable of change.
“It’s a story about how simple change can be. Sometimes it’s incredibly hard for people to shift their perspective — but it can also be the easiest thing in the world.”
It’s a message that feels particularly relevant today, as the production explores ideas of community, inequality, compassion and the importance of looking beyond ourselves. And with this Scrooge’s story rooted partly in Cumbria, there’s an added local connection for audiences in Keswick and across the Lake District.
A Christmas story for everyone
Creating theatre that brings generations together has always been central to Goblin’s work.
“We make theatre with young people in mind, but we want it to be truly intergenerational, something everyone can connect with, without barriers.”
It’s an approach that feels right at home at Theatre by the Lake, where Christmas is a time for families, friends and audiences of all ages to share the magic of live performance.
For Matt, the ambition is to give audiences the excitement and delicious unease of a ghost story, before sending them home with that unmistakable festive feeling. “We want audiences to feel that sense of excitement and unease, but ultimately to leave with a full heart, that warm, Christmassy feeling.”
With original live music, extraordinary actor-musicians, puppetry, ghosts and plenty of heart, this promises to be a Christmas adventure that’s familiar enough to feel like an old friend, but full of surprises.
The Goblins are back in Keswick, and Christmas is about to get a little more spirited!
Discover A Christmas Carol and book your tickets:
https://www.theatrebythelake.com/event/a-christmas-carol-keswick-lake-district-theatre/
Interviewed by Rachel Kearns for Theatre by the Lake
