Published 18 Dec 2024
To spread some festive cheer and convert any Scrooges in the final week before Christmas, Newcastle-based train operator, Lumo, teamed up with the cast of A Christmas Carol from Northern Stage, taking a special surprise performance to customers on the East Coast Main Line.
The adaptation of A Christmas Carol, which is running at the city centre theatre until Saturday 4 January 2025, is a Newcastle reimagining of the classic story, with the stage show opening in the present day on Northumberland Street with a medley of well-known festive songs from over the years, before the cast travels back in time to Victorian England when the novel is famously set.
Not to be missed in their period costumes, five of the show’s cast members boarded the northbound 13:47 Lumo service at Newcastle, providing an exclusive performance of the show’s opening medley for lucky customers travelling to Morpeth and Edinburgh, two of the key destinations on Lumo’s East Coast route.
As a company committed to supporting the communities it serves, the Newcastle reimagining of the iconic story is something that resonated with Lumo and led to the partnership of the two local organisations celebrating arts and culture in the city this December. Not only that, but the Northern Stage cast of A Christmas Carol all proudly have ties to Newcastle, making it even more special for them to spread some festive magic with Lumo customers.
Martijn Gilbert, Managing Director of Lumo, said: “We are full of festive cheer thanks to our partnership with Northern Stage, helping bring some joy and celebrate the arts this December. Northern Stage is a fantastic venue in Newcastle for helping many people access arts and culture so it was a perfect opportunity to offer our customers the chance to experience part of the play from the comfort of their train seats in the countdown to Christmas. It was a memorable experience and a special surprise for our customers who had the chance to preview some of the Northern Stage performance at 125 miles per hour.”
Natalie Ibu, Artistic Director at Northern Stage said: “The North East is at the heart of our reimagining of A Christmas Carol and so it is a fantastic opportunity to partner with Lumo to bring some Christmas joy to those travelling in the region over the festive season. At Northern Stage, we are committed to supporting access to creativity for people all across our vibrant region and using theatre as a force for positive change in the world.
“A Christmas Carol is a story that so many of us know and love and the response from some of our younger audiences who might be experiencing Dickens’ tale of greed and goodwill for the first time has been joyous. I hope Lumo passengers enjoyed their journey with hearts full of festive cheer.”
Lumo is proudly serving a range of locally sourced festive treats onboard its services this Christmas including stottie cakes, plus mince pies, chocolate reindeers and Baileys with hot chocolate from popular North East business, Ringtons.
The adaptation of A Christmas Carol, which is running at the city centre theatre until Saturday 4 January 2025, is a Newcastle reimagining of the classic story, with the stage show opening in the present day on Northumberland Street with a medley of well-known festive songs from over the years, before the cast travels back in time to Victorian England when the novel is famously set.
Not to be missed in their period costumes, five of the show’s cast members boarded the northbound 13:47 Lumo service at Newcastle, providing an exclusive performance of the show’s opening medley for lucky customers travelling to Morpeth and Edinburgh, two of the key destinations on Lumo’s East Coast route.
As a company committed to supporting the communities it serves, the Newcastle reimagining of the iconic story is something that resonated with Lumo and led to the partnership of the two local organisations celebrating arts and culture in the city this December. Not only that, but the Northern Stage cast of A Christmas Carol all proudly have ties to Newcastle, making it even more special for them to spread some festive magic with Lumo customers.
Martijn Gilbert, Managing Director of Lumo, said: “We are full of festive cheer thanks to our partnership with Northern Stage, helping bring some joy and celebrate the arts this December. Northern Stage is a fantastic venue in Newcastle for helping many people access arts and culture so it was a perfect opportunity to offer our customers the chance to experience part of the play from the comfort of their train seats in the countdown to Christmas. It was a memorable experience and a special surprise for our customers who had the chance to preview some of the Northern Stage performance at 125 miles per hour.”
Natalie Ibu, Artistic Director at Northern Stage said: “The North East is at the heart of our reimagining of A Christmas Carol and so it is a fantastic opportunity to partner with Lumo to bring some Christmas joy to those travelling in the region over the festive season. At Northern Stage, we are committed to supporting access to creativity for people all across our vibrant region and using theatre as a force for positive change in the world.
“A Christmas Carol is a story that so many of us know and love and the response from some of our younger audiences who might be experiencing Dickens’ tale of greed and goodwill for the first time has been joyous. I hope Lumo passengers enjoyed their journey with hearts full of festive cheer.”
Lumo is proudly serving a range of locally sourced festive treats onboard its services this Christmas including stottie cakes, plus mince pies, chocolate reindeers and Baileys with hot chocolate from popular North East business, Ringtons.