This production by the Royal Court Theatre brought together seven very varied pieces, each by a different writer, linked by the common theme of Christmas. Each piece looked to varying degrees outside the box and the result was a relaxed combination of comedy and edginess, with no play taking itself too seriously whilst some a number of real issues were explored. The quickfire format of no piece lasting longer 12-15 minutes ensured a good pace with the audience never being allowed to get too comfortable with a single scenario whilst the set of a brick wall with a door and a window remained constant.
‘The Badly Battered, Bright Blue Bike’ by Ed Barrett kicked off the evening with the touching setting of an unemployed engineer doing what he could to provide for his family at Christmas. What looked at first like a standard kitchen sink drama took on a couple of unexpecting twists leading to a satisfying conclusion. The next offering ‘Tom and Jerry’ by Ed Connole harked back to the first World War, homing in on two soldiers from opposite sides of the trenches who meet at Christmas. The theme was naturally about shared humanity as the two soldiers swopped aspects of their respective cultures but was spoilt by the German stating very strongly that he liked Liverpool but definitely did not like Manchester. There seemed no reason to insert any traditional Liverpudlian prejudice into the mouth of the German, jarring with the otherwise pleasant flow of the dialogue.
‘The Old Fairy’ by Liz Redwood gave the two female cast members centre stage as a time-served fairy who had for many years topped the Christmas tree contemplated being replaced by a new high-technology fairy, combining youth with a combination of impressive new features including singing songs and Christmas greetings. This was in fact an imaginative analogy of wider generational gaps as old people find it hard to adjust to the never-ending pace of change as technology affects so many aspects of our lives. The older fairy had some wise observations, putting everything in a wider perspective that the young fairy could not ignore.
The first half closed with ‘Coffin Around The Christmas Tree’ by Sarah O’Hara; the most difficult to grasp offering of the evening, having a Pinteresque feel that made it something of a marmite piece whist certainly having plenty of energy and drama.
‘Santa's in the Wings’ by Sinead Taylor had the most curious setting of the evening, in theatre stalls just before a ballet performance was due to start and followed an observational conversation between two friends.
‘Santa’s Little Helpers’ by Nadine Jump was, like ‘The Old Fairy’, an analogy of wider aspects of life as one of Santa’s Little Helpers expressed disgruntlement at being constantly overshadowed by the ‘main act’, in contrast to her fellow elf who saw everyone as a team member, set backstage at a Santa Clause grotto. An interesting piece with a couple of unexpected twists.
The evening closed with ‘A Nice, Old Fashioned, Family Crandlemas’ by David Elliott, an amusing, thinly-disguised satire on The Church of Scientology and a flipping of the traditional image of Christmas in which the daughter of a couple heavily involved with worshipping ‘Jensen’ who rules from a mother ship in the skies, is regarding as being in a strange cult, having become a Christian.
All roles across the seven plays were performed by Carl Cockram, Joe Cowin, Julie Glover and Princess, working as an efficient team displaying wide ranging acting skills as the moods and emotions kept changing throughout the evening. Princess Khumalo brought a lot of physicality to her roles with both Carl Cockram and Julie Glover displaying scouse wit and charm throughout. Joe Cowin provided an effective balance to regional placement as a youthful ‘everyman’. The tight direction by Jessica Meade ensured that all seven plays neatly flowing into each other.
An entertaining and very varied evening.
Reviewer - John Waterhouse
On - 4th December 2025
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