I’ve seen so many productions of Charles Dickens’ classic tale in recent times (this is the third time the RSC has put it on in five years for a start) that I could probably play a role - or so my imaginary agent keeps telling me.

The timeless tale of redemption and compassion is always terrific festive fare though, and David Edgar’s socially-conscious adaptation, which premiered at the RSC in 2017 and returned the following year, adds a unique twist by putting Dickens himself, as well as his editor John Forster, at the heart of the action.

Both appear throughout the proceedings, discussing, creating and editing the narrative in front of our eyes, directing the action, helping actors with their lines, handling props and often providing the heart - and more poignantly the conscience - of the fable.

The construct enables the show to stay true to the source material as well as tell the story behind it - in the prologue Forster talks Dickens out of writing it as a political pamphlet and later questions the bleak ending originally planned, exasperatingly exclaiming “you can’t end a Christmas story with a corpse”.

But for all the additional insight the show within the show remains the primary focus, aided (ahem) by a captivating central performance from Adrian Edmondson as Scrooge. Whether loathsome - as he undeniably is at the start - bleary and then wide-eyed with childlike wonder as the ghosts lead him through his past, present and (potential) future or intoxicatingly daft with relief at his redemption, it’s impossible to take your eyes off him, whether he’s the focal point or a bystander to the action.

Much of the activity he witnesses takes the form of impressively dynamic set pieces - beautifully choreographed by Georgina Lamb and performed by a hugely energetic cast - and while the Fezziwig scenes tend to go on a bit (as always), they add the requisite depth to Scrooge’s back story to ensure the audience can’t help but empathise with Dickens’ “appalling misanthrope”.

We’re also under no illusions about the modern resonance of the tale and the widespread need for empathy in 2022. It might be set in a vividly-recreated Victorian London and feature Dickens quoting from an horrific Parliamentary Report on child labour practices in the 1800s, but Edgar regularly draws parallels with contemporary society and the current cost-of-living crisis. There are laughs at the expense of (an unnamed) Boris Johnson and daft character names like Uber, Snapchat, Tumbler and Tinder, but also heartfelt pleas for compassion for those facing hardship, notably from Sunetra Sarker’s wonderfully colourful Ghost of Christmas Present, one of four roles the versatile actor switches between.

Her character is often regarded as the voice of Dickens in the novella, but seeing the man himself in this production - and learning something of his own past - adds even greater weight to the moving finale as well as the importance of its message about rich and poor, greed and charity, hope and redemption. It couldn’t be more timely or more dramatically, and wonderfully, presented.

Five stars

Reviewed by Steve Adams at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon on Tuesday 8 November. A Christmas Carol continues to show at the venue until 1 January 2023.