Mischief has named the actors who will take Christmas Carol Goes Wrong around the UK from late October and into the Wyndham's Theatre for six weeks over Christmas, with original company member Dave Hearn among them.
Mischief has announced the company for Christmas Carol Goes Wrong, which tours the UK from late October before running at the Wyndham's Theatre in the West End from 18 December 2026 to 23 January 2027.
James Akka plays Dennis, Adam Elliott plays Chris, Matthew Howell plays Robert, Aein Nasseri plays Trevor, Luke Pierre plays Jonathan, Dumile Sibanda plays Annie and Ashley Tucker plays Sandra. Original Mischief member Dave Hearn returns as Max until 23 January 2027, after which Jay Olpin takes over the part for the last six venues of the tour.
The understudies are Billie Hamer, Robert Lane, Claire Lee Shenfield and Jamie Sandersfield, with Jay Olpin covering until 23 January 2027 and Josh Patel-Foster joining from 26 January 2027.
Two weeks of the tour keep a different company. The Manchester and Portsmouth dates are played by the cast announced in August, most of them original Mischief members and the actors who opened the show in the West End: Matt Cavendish as Max, Allie Dart as Annie, Sasha Frost as Sandra, Henry Lewis as Robert, Chris Leask as Trevor, Jonathan Sayer as Dennis, Henry Shields as Chris and Greg Tannahill as Jonathan, with Matthew Biddulph, Siobhan Cha Cha, Orla O'Sullivan and Josh Patel-Foster understudying.
Producer Kenny Wax said: "It is with great trepidation that we are about to unleash this talented new cast of actors joining the ranks who are already fighting over who gets to play Scrooge, ignoring script cues and actively sabotaging the set. We are terrified to be presenting this show throughout the UK on tour, in the West End and internationally, in Los Angeles and Australia. It has meant that by expanding across multiple global casts, Cornley's severe miscommunication, and delays to their set, have caused an international safety hazard."
The premise is one Mischief has made its own. The Cornley Amateur Drama Society take on Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol and are comprehensively defeated by it: the set gives way, actors go missing, messages are misheard, and the company falls out over who should be playing Scrooge.
The production is written by original Mischief members Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields, the team behind The Play That Goes Wrong and Peter Pan Goes Wrong. It is directed by Matt DiCarlo, who also staged The Comedy About Spies, running at the Adelphi Theatre until 26 September 2026. Christmas Carol Goes Wrong first ran at the Apollo Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue last year, where it played to sell-out houses.
Joining the writers and the director are set designer Libby Todd, costume designer Roberto Surace, lighting designer David Howe and sound designer and composer Alexandra Faye Braithwaite. The UK tour and West End run are produced by Kenny Wax and Stage Presence.
Cornley's difficulties are not confined to Britain this winter. The production also runs at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles from 12 December 2026 to 10 January 2027, produced there by Kenny Wax, Stage Presence and Kevin McCollum, and travels to Australia for dates at HOTA on the Gold Coast and at the Sydney Opera House, brought over by GMG Productions and Stoddart Entertainment Group. A 15-minute documentary about how the show was assembled is on Mischief's YouTube channel.
Christmas Carol Goes Wrong: UK tour and West End dates
- 27-31 October 2026: Churchill Theatre, Bromley
- 3-7 November 2026: Norwich Theatre Royal, Norwich
- 10-14 November 2026: Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton
- 17-21 November 2026: Manchester Opera House, Manchester
- 24-28 November 2026: Kings Theatre, Portsmouth
- 8-12 December 2026: Leeds Grand Theatre, Leeds
- 18 December 2026 - 23 January 2027: Wyndham's Theatre, London
- 26-30 January 2027: Grand Opera House, York
- 2-6 February 2027: Milton Keynes Theatre, Milton Keynes
- 9-13 February 2027: New Theatre, Cardiff
- 16-20 February 2027: Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham
- 23-27 February 2027: Theatre Royal, Newcastle
- 2-7 March 2027: The Arts Theatre, Cambridge
Tickets for Christmas Carol Goes Wrong at the Wyndham's Theatre are on sale now, with performances from Friday 18 December 2026 to Saturday 23 January 2027.
