An innovative trilogy re-imagining of Charles Dickens' famous 'A Christmas Carol' is to form the basis of Cory Band's latest concert programme — with a launch, appropriately enough, set for December this year.

The latest family entertainment initiative builds on their reputation as the brass band world's great storytellers and which has been established through their sets based on 'Romeo and Juliet', 'The Jungle Book', 'Treasure Island' and its current show, 'Doctor Who'.

A Cory Trilogy

However, as Philip Harper told 4BR, 'A Cory Trilogy' really is a very different take on the tale of the redemptive transformation of the miserly Ebeneezer Scrooge — and one that is to take three years in its inventive telling.

"After the success of our previous programmes I wanted to really see how far we could develop the format. Dickens did just that with his storytelling, so why not take a leaf out of his book?

'A Cory Trilogy — Episode 1: The Curtain Rises' will be a three -part programme that will extend from 2023 to 2025. That enables us to bring a very different reimagining of 'A Christmas Carol' that can extend in scope and direction over the time frame."

Tyrannical conductor

He added: "We've also adapted Dickens to our banding world, and Ebenezer Scrooge has become Edwyn Scrooch, a tyrannical conductor that no-one likes, who is visited by a ghost who shares three different visions in the hope that these will make him change his ways.

Each year we will showcase one of those 'visions' — a self-contained story within its own right — and the combination of the three will help to tell the bigger overarching tale."

Night at the Movies

Philip revealed that the starting point sees Scrooch's band rehearsing for 'A Night at the Movies concert, with the development of each subsequent vision coming from it in echoing his travel towards redemption.

He added: "Although we have all three movies mapped out, we're not telling anyone what they are yet! Much like Dickens who was a master of engaging the anticipation of his audience with the publication of his tales, we will be doing that too."

It enables us to bring a very different reimagining of 'A Christmas Carol' that can extend in scope and direction over the time framePhilip Harper

Partnerships

Cory has been joined in the project by partners B: Music at Town Hall Birmingham, and World of Brass, and will also be inviting local bands to be part of the show too.

Philip explained: "Birmingham Town Hall is the perfect central venue for the launch with its great facilities, seating and acoustic making for a wonderful audience experience aided by integrated multimedia additions.

World of Brass will also capture it all for inclusion on their wobplay platform so that it can reach every corner of the banding globe. All this and we want to make it a truly inclusive occasion and invite a local band to join us in bringing it to the stage. Watch out for more on that too!"

World premiere

The world premiere of the first part of 'A Cory Trilogy' will be on Sunday 3rd December at Birmingham Town Hall.

Tickets can be booked online at: https://bmusic.co.uk/events/cory-band-a-cory-trilogy-episode-i-the-curtain-rises