The Muppet Christmas Carol in Concert

The Muppet Christmas Carol in Concert puts the film on the screen at Bridgewater Hall while a full orchestra plays the score. Gonzo and Rizzo narrate, Kermit sings, Michael Caine plays Scrooge as if the puppets around him are the most serious company in London, and the songs by Paul Williams are the reason the film still gets wheeled out every December. Live musicians do the heavy lifting that a television speaker cannot.

Dates run from 7 to 17 December, so check which night you are booking. It is the softest Dickens in town, and the best one if the children already know every Rizzo gag and you want the music to feel bigger than the film they have at home. Lower Mosley Street, early evening starts. The hall suits a family audience without swallowing the jokes, and the orchestra keeps the adults in the room for the score rather than for the nostalgia alone. Arrive for Gonzo’s opening. It sets the tone the band then has to match.