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Theatre Reviews Christmas children shows round-up with Lynee Walsh

From Glasgow to Cardiff, Kingston-upon-Thames to Bristol and from Liverpool to Little Venice tradition and innovation combine imaginatively in a choice of shows to entertain children of all ages

BRING on the seething bowls of punch – it’s that time of year, when Scrooge stalks the land, children scream at panto baddies, and parents reach for the gin.

It can be tough finding a show that pleases the family, especially one that doesn’t involve you in bank robbery to pay for tickets. It’s little wonder that former soap stars fling themselves into the pantomime season, where salaries are famously high.

This round-up recommends some traditional offerings, a few on the quirky side, and one or two which may well scare the popcorn out of you. There’s also circus, musicals and some perfect puppetry.

In our post-lockdown land, it’s worth a reminder that some theatres are offering some specifically “social distancing” performances, whilst others have “Covid measures” in place – you may well need to flash your NHS pass.     

 

WIMBLEDON

WE’LL start with one that’s easy to recommend, from the fantastic Dickens Theatre Company. Writer and actor Ryan Philpott has come up with a great twist on A Christmas Carol, the novella that annually spawns a hundred different treatments.

His premise: “Two of Dickens’s closest theatrical companions find themselves trapped in the footlights’ glare. With the rest of the cast stuck on a train, actress Frances Ternan and Dickens’s faithful tour manager George Dolby take on the daunting challenge of portraying more than 30 characters.”

Starring Philpott himself alongside Louise Faulkner, this is under the accomplished direction of Eric Richard (that’s Sgt Bob Cryer of The Bill to many of us). They’ve previously earned a five-star review in this newspaper, with a truly mesmerising and uplifting show that kick-starts Christmas.

November 29 – December 4
newwimbledontheatre.net

 

CARDIFF

AT CARDIFF’S Sherman Theatre, Scrooge is female, in this adaptation from Gary Owen, a writer known for creating strong women characters, having penned the phenomenal Iphigenia in Splott.

November 26 – December 31
shermantheatre.co.uk

The Sherman also has The Elves and the Shoemaker for younger ones (ideal for ages 3-6). This has some performances in Welsh, too. For 7+.

November 29  - December 31
shermantheatre.co.uk

 

LONDON

ANOTHER theatre company to win five stars in these arts pages is the superb Antic Disposition. Their musical interpretation of A Christmas Carol is staged in the Elizabethan setting of London’s Middle Temple Hall. These halls will actually be decked with boughs of holly, and I suspect there’ll be mulled wine and mince pies at the bar. This is also the location where Dickens himself studied law. For age 6+

December 22 – 30
anticdisposition.co.uk

LONDON

ONE more iteration of the Scrooge gig, this one in a setting beloved of Londoners and visitors alike. The recently refurbished Alexandra Palace seems a grand choice for this production, adapted by Mark Gatiss, of The League of Gentlemen, who also plays Jacob Marley, alongside Nicholas Farrell as Scrooge.

Their blurb sweetly advises that this is suitable for 8+, but “parents/carers are advised to use their discretion. No violence, bad language or adult content. Does contain spooky ghosts.”

November 26 – January 9
christmascarolonstage.co.uk

 

KINGSTON-UPON-THAMES

THERE are modern and traditional outings for Beauty and the Beast, with the Kingston-upon-Thames Rose getting a new musical version. The Rose Youth Theatre players perform alongside established professionals.

December 3 – January 3
rosetheatre.org

BATTERSEA ARTS CENTRE has a panto mash-up, with Sleeping Beauty & The Beast, a beautifully daft detective story. An extra reason to love this brilliant venue is their “pay what you can” model for their shows.

November 26 – December 30
bac.org.uk

 

RICHMOND-UPON-THAMES

THERE’S puppetry and music at the Orange Tree, Richmond-upon-Thames, and some parents and grandparents may delight to know that “babes in arms” can enjoy this Pinocchio for only £1 (yes, of course they must be in the arms of their adult carers).

December 14 – 31
orangetreetheatre.co.uk

 

GLASGOW

I’M VERY taken with a show from Scottish Opera, billed as a “brrr-illiant adventure for three to seven-year-olds. This has the best name so far, Mr MacNeep has Lost his Sheep, and features puppets, live music and singing, in a tale about the importance of friendship.

December 4 – 20
scottishopera.org.uk

 

BRISTOL

ROBIN HOOD strides in to the Bristol Old Vice, for Legend of the Forgotten Forest. There’s an epic fight between good and evil. I hear there are karaoke-singing monks, and swashbuckling. Now, if ever a swash were to be buckled, the award-winning Wardrobe Ensemble company are the very ones to do it.

November 25 – January 8
bristololdvic.org.uk

 

LIVERPOOL

FOR many reasons, my heart is drawn to my city-in-law of Liverpool. The Everyman has a rock ‘n’ roll panto version of Robin Hood, its strapline announcing “tights in white satin!,” which may be a reference too old for the audience, but this story does promise heroism and social justice. Suitable for 3+.

November 27 – January 15
everymanplayhouse.com

STILL in the city of “four lads that rocked the werld,” the Royal Court Theatre gives its Scouse Sleeping Beauty. Part of the blurb proves the tongue is firmly in cheek here: “Once upon a time there lay a land that was so beautiful that it was almost good enough to be a World Heritage Site! Can the good people of Liverpool drive the evil fairy back to the hellhole she came from (Manchester)? How many times will we make jokes about the council that might get us shut down?”

I’ve sneaked this in as a kind of antithesis to every other show here, as it’s for 16+. As the theatre says: “Deffo not for kids.”

November 22 – January 15
liverpoolsroyalcourt.com

LONDON

ANOTHER for slightly older children is at the iconic Wilton’s Music Hall, in London’s East End. Elizabeth Gaskill’s The Child in the Snow sounds properly spine tingling.

The blurb: “1918. A nurse, recently back from the front, is haunted by her wartime experience. But when she finds herself at a seance, recalling memories of a lonely childhood Christmas on the Northumbrian moors, she also unearths a dark secret that refuses to remain in the shadows.”

And the advice: “For age 12+ — and not for those of a nervous disposition.”

November 21 – December 31
wiltons.org.uk

LONDON

FOR those who demand more spectacle with their Christmas shows, here comes Circus 1903, with strongmen, contortionists, acrobats and knife-throwers. This trip back to the turn of the 20th century also includes high-wire acts, trapeze artists and life-size elephant puppets. 

December 16 – January 2
southbankcentre.co.uk

CLAPHAM

THAT all sounds far too exhausting, so I plan to be at the Omnibus Theatre, for the Three Billy Goats Gruff. I love the work of Garlic Theatre and their table-top puppetry. This show features a troll, and a goat called Silly Billy.  That clearly has resonance for adults, too, so I’ll grab tickets now. I’ll amuse myself, putting faces to those characters.

December 14 to 19
(weekdays are schools-only)
omnibus-clapham.org

 

LONDON/LITTLE VENICE

THE legendary Puppet Theatre Barge offers Pinocchio who comes to life in paper form in the Magical Paper Theatre’s new adaptation. Using the traditional 19th-century pop-up book techniques of Victorian toy theatres, the story features over 25 characters, 15 different scenes and special effects, a even a crankie box. Suitable for age 5+.

December 4, 11, 12
puppetbarge.com

ALSO a specially commissioned Mr Shadow’s Christmas Present which will take you on a shadowy Christmas journey as Mr Shadow transforms ordinary things into something magical through the wonder of shadow play. Suitable for age 3+.

December 18 -  January 3
puppetbarge.com

 

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