FamilyNorth East & YorkshireReview

A Town Called Christmas – Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse, Sheffield

Reviewer: Charlotte Broadbent

Writer and Director: Elvi Piper

Designer: Antony Jones

Composers: Bayard Bryan and Claire O’Connor

As ever, Sheffield Theatres are offering a generous variety of festive theatre for everyone this Christmas. The Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse presents A Town Called Christmas, a simple but touching piece with original compositions and some stand-out physical performances that bring the smaller space to life. Some lovely moments of audience interaction offer a more intimate theatre experience. The perfect option for younger theatergoers who might be overwhelmed by the traditional panto.

Our heroine, Clementine is on an adventure to visit the town called Christmas, after hearing heartwarming tales from her aunt. Armed only with an endless supply of cracker jokes, boundless optimism, and a treasured tree ornament she sets off from Sheffield to the north. However, when she arrives, she is greeted by a glitching robot, a cantankerous caretaker, and a town that has been almost entirely forgotten with no power and no visitors. An undaunted Clementine realises that all the town needs to thrive is to rekindle fond memories of Christmas and a reminder to hold Christmas in your heart.

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A company of three does well to slip in and out of various roles throughout. All three demonstrate impressive physical comedy, particularly Florence Poskitt’s robot whose movement and vocal performance endear us to this well-meaning though malfunctioning robot. While these vocal quirks are impressive it does create some issues in clarity, which brings us to the show’s biggest downfall.

Sadly the sound balance is not always consistent so some dialogue is lost. While the overall story is understood, some plot points and characters’ names are almost missed. The music, composed by Bayard Bryan and Claire O’Connor is impressive and all three performers convey a broad vocal ability. Sometimes the lyrics are a bit ambitious for a children’s show and quite a lot of detail is missed.

The overall message comes through and some genuinely moving performances leave the audience with the right sentiment. Some lovely puppeteering helped add texture to the storytelling and captivated the younger viewers.

Little in the way of props and set means the company is unhindered and play is at the heart of this performance. A flurry of snow and abundant twinkling lights makes this a lovely show for a younger audience.

A lot to be enjoyed and a unique production which brings a new perspective to the Christmas message.

Runs until 30th December 2023

The Reviews Hub Score

Christmas Coziness

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The Yorkshire & North East team is under the editorship of Jacob Bush. The Reviews Hub was set up in 2007. Our mission is to provide the most in-depth, nationwide arts coverage online.

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One Comment

  1. We took our 3 year old today. While the performances were excellent the language used was way above the mainly nursery age present ( ‘return to glory??’) as were the joke ( my name clementine not satsuma). Telling the story through not always audible songs and with no familiar Christmas characters it was difficult for our 3 year old to grasp. There was nil audience participation ( other than a tiny bit at the beginning) and our daughter even told us to stop clapping along with tunes because nobody else was. What a shame as the actors worked really hard but the whole concept was inaccessible to the young audience who appeared restless throughout. The best bit for our daughter was the lights .

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