A Christmas Carol is currently one of the most frequently adapted festive stories in theatres up and down the country, so the opportunity to see it presented in an original way is very much to be welcomed. Particularly so when it is centred around one of the leading character actors working today - Anton Lesser.

For a number of years, Lesser has been collaborating with David Le Page and his Orchestra of the Swan on a series of narrated concerts exploring a range of writers. Most recently, their evening of Laurie Lee in Words and Music was very warmly received at the Oxford Playhouse. This project is the first time they have focused on a single story, and it makes for a charming and beautifully presented event.

Lesser is a master storyteller. He is able to create atmosphere and character almost effortlessly and he relishes the rich world that Dickens created.

The music is similarly brilliant. It is eclectic, effective and beautifully played by the ensemble of eight talented musicians. They blend classical, folk and jazz idioms to create something uniquely engaging.

However for all this obvious excellence, it does lack a real narrative drive. In their other events, they have explored a range of works and thus the need to focus on one story has not been necessary. But here, when you are retelling one of the most famous stories ever told, you do need that focus.

If the music and words had been more integrated, it would have been more effective at sustaining the momentum of the unfolding events. But by largely switching between words and music rather than the two working simultaneously, we did occasionally lose pacing. If more of the music had been used as underscoring to the narration, this would have been dramatically more satisfying.

It was still an enjoyable and original event with lots of Christmassy feels. But it did not quite serve Dickens as well as it might have done.