FANTASTICALLY HILARIOUS AND FULL OF FESTIVE FEEL-GOOD SPIRIT

By Sophie Clark | Muck Rack Portfolio ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Press Invite

If you are feeling particularly Christmassy this week you have Tom Clarkson and Owen Visser to thank, because they are working incredibly hard to save the spirit of Christmas via their fantastically hilarious show The Christmas Thing.

I had a truly delightful, and Christmassy, time at the Seven Dials Playhouse on Wednesday night, and although press were given unlimited mulled wine (a smart tactic) we honestly didn’t need it because the show is funny enough without inebriation.

Part panto, part day-time TV pastiche, part murder mystery (hear me out), The Christmas Thing has something for everyone. And, although it might initially come across as a satire of Christmas day-time shows, it is genuinely successful in imbuing everyone with a little more festive feel-good spirit by the time it is over.

You never know what you’re going to get with a show that relies heavily on audience participation, so I was trepidatious at the start to see where it went, but Tom and Owen and the rest of their cast are incredibly inviting and warm, making all participants (myself included at one point) feel very comfortable on their stage.

My favourite aspect of the show was just how much work clearly went into it. The show itself is so beyond silly, but every tiny detail is perfect. From the fake Netflix with Christmas movies such as “Life, It’s Wonderful” and many more hysterical titles which I don’t want to ruin, to the incredible tech behind making sounds for the buzzers on stage, to making individual Christmas cracker jokes, the show would not have worked half as well if that level of care wasn’t put into it.

I particularly loved the second act opening. It’s one for the real theatre-heads in the room, which I appreciated.

My only note would be that it does drag at some points and I didn’t love the constant puns on pop songs. That felt a little tired, and too ‘kids-entertainment’ for the otherwise very clever show. I think they could shave a decent 10 minutes off if they cut the pop gags and maybe sped up the opening just a bit.

Otherwise, I absolutely loved it, and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for something pantomime-esque this festive season.

The Christmas Thing is running at Seven Dials Playhouse until Saturday 20 December.

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Photo Credit: Bonnie Britain