Writer: Ginna Hoben
Director: James Edge
The period of time in between Christmas and New Year’s Day can be really tough to programme. Christmas 
shows feel out of place, but so does a non-holiday show – it’s hard to win. The Old Joint Stock have perfectly cracked this dilemma with The Twelve Dates of Christmas. This one-woman show is 85 minutes of giggle-inducing, touching honesty and an unexpectedly lovable counter response to the more traditional holiday rom-coms.
Sam Carlyle, as Mary, takes to the festively decorated stage in cosy tartan pyjamas, cradling a mug of something warm, and immediately stops Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas is You from playing. She has a charming ease of presence and an openness which make her an empathetic character from the start. Carlyle has great comedic timing, and quickly wins the audience over by pouring a generous glass of wine before diving into her story.
Mary is watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV when she sees her fiancée kissing another woman. This disaster starts Mary stumbling through the holidays without a partner, forced to face challenges such as overzealous southern aunts and drunken decisions made on New Year’s Eve. The play follows Mary from that disastrous Thanksgiving Day to the next Thanksgiving and the Christmas following. While this may be a comedy about romance, it certainly isn’t your stereotypical rom-com, and although the ending is happy, it’s probably not the one you might expect.
Carlyle is an excellent performer. She expertly conducts the evening, from joyful highs to embarrassing lows, she invites the audience to become her best friends, confidantes, and cheerleaders. Ginna Hoben’s script is witty, truthful, a little bit cheeky, and Carlyle owns it. The script is well served not only by Carlyle’s Mary but also by a beautifully simplistic stage design. There’s always a hint of festive red onstage, minimal props, and well-placed lighting and sound cues used to punctuate scenes. The partnership of lighting, sound, set design, and performance paint each moment clearly, working together to tell the story elegantly. Director James Edge’s refined style is like the star on top of a Christmas tree: it adds just the right touch.
The Twelve Dates of Christmas may seem like a cheesy rom-com title that some people might avoid, but this production is a treat for holiday celebrators of any kind, whether single, recently un-engaged, or happily in love. It will make you laugh, cringe, cheer, gasp, and maybe even tear up a little bit. For a thoroughly enjoyable journey through the holidays and all those things we do to cope with them, go see The Twelve Dates of Christmas.
Runs until 30 December 2023
