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Three To See 6-12 Dec: Funny Stuff, A Christmas Carols, Kid Stuff, Panto

By | Published on Friday 2 December 2022

FUNNY STUFF

Lesbian Space Crime | Soho Theatre | 6-22 Dec (pictured)
Oooh, we are well in to December now, aren’t we? Lots of Christmassy stuff coming up. But first, because December should be about laughter as well as fairy lights, some funny stuff. We’ve tipped ‘Lesbian Space Crime’ before, but now it’s back for a longer run so if you didn’t see it last time now’s your chance. Why would you want to miss a comedy with songs about a beleaguered astronaut isolated in space? More here.

Jazz Emu: You Shouldn’t Have | Soho Theatre | 9-20 Dec
“In 2016, Jazz Emu played the biggest gig he’d ever landed at the Helsinki Velodrome. But during his between-song patter, he carelessly insulted one of his biggest fans. What he said doesn’t bear repeating, but let’s say the Scandinavian Goblin community may never look him in the eye again”. Another one from Soho Theatre and yet another recommendation from us of someone who has done rather well at edfringe of late. Details here.

21 Soho Presents… Christmas Special! | 21Soho | 10 Dec
We’re moving on from the Soho Theatre now, where we’d got quite comfy, but we’re not going so very far, it’s just a few minutes walk round to 21Soho for this comedy Christmas special with something of a starry line-up. And by starry, we mean that some real favourites of ours are lined up to entertain you: namely Lou Sanders, Sam Campbell, Nina Conti and Kyrah Gray, and other acts TBA. Read more and book here.


ONE-MAN A CHRISTMAS CAROLS

A Christmas Carol | Barons Court Theatre | 7-24 Dec
There are so many ‘Christmas Carols’ happening in London this festive season that’s it’s been quite a job for me to resist talking about them all. This week I have cracked a bit and I’m including two whole sections dedicated to Dickens-derived ghostly shenanigans. This one comes from a company that specialises in storytelling and, of course, as indicated by this section’s title, this is a solo show. More here.

A Christmas Carol – As Told By Jacob Marley (deceased) | ArtsDepot | 10 Dec (pictured)
Another one-person version of this most excellent tale, this time from the acclaimed James Hyland, told from the perspective of Ebenezer Scrooge’s dead-as-a-doornail former business partner Jacob Marley. It’s an award winning adaptation that promises “thrills, chills and excitement aplenty” as we take that journey to redemption and discover “the true value of love and forgiveness”. Details here.

A Christmas Carol | Greenwich Theatre | 12 + 19 Dec
And finally, another man standing alone on a stage telling the story of ‘A Christmas Carol’, though this one is slightly different as it’s less an adaptation and more a recreation of Charles Dickens’ own public readings of the book. So you’ll be able to pretend you’re in Victorian England witnessing one of those many acclaimed performances. Read more about the show and book your tickets here.


MORE A CHRISTMAS CAROLS

Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol | Southbank Centre | 8 Dec-8 Jan
Another reason the three ‘Carols’ in the previous section fit together so well was because they are all fairly traditional and faithful retellings, whereas the three shows in this section are kinda not that at all. Though, I suspect this one probably sticks pretty well to the original in terms of story: it’s the non-Victorian London location and the fact that it’s a musical with songs by Dolly Parton that kinda set it apart. More here.

A Christmas Carol-ish… | Soho Theatre | 7-23 Dec (pictured)
Well, look at that, back to the Soho Theatre again for the third time in this week’s recommendations. It’s almost as if the Soho Theatre puts on loads of great stuff or something. Anyway, here’s another retelling from that brilliant Nick Mohammed, who presents Mr Swallow’s own musical version of the, er, Christmas classic (yes, I am running out of ways to refer to it now) with help from David Helms, Kieran Hodgson and Sarah Hadland. Click here.

Sing-A-Long Muppet Christmas Carol | Battersea Arts Centre | 8-19 Dec
Okay, last one, and it’s one we’ve tipped in previous years. Indeed, we’ve possibly tipped this every time Sh!t Theatre have staged it. For yes, the TW favourite company – aka Louise Mothersole and Becca Biscuit – are back with their ‘Muppet Christmas Carol’ sing-a-long, which, you may well be entirely aware, is now what you might call a cult thing. That being the case, get your tickets booked soon, as they will be selling fast. Head this way.


STUFF FOR KIDS

Jonny Feathers and the Rock n Roll Pigeon | Riverside Studios | 7 Dec-8 Jan (pictured)
Oh, there are so many great shows happening for your young people over the Christmas period, which is lovely, because they all deserve lots of treats and visits to their local theatres. We’ve tipped this one before – it was on at the Park Theatre in the summer – but now it’s back for another run, which is lovely. One for “little rebels” aged four to eight who love music, action and excitement. Read more about it here.

Five Children And It | Tabard Theatre | 8-31 Dec
I was so excited when I saw that this next show was lined up at the Tabard Theatre, because I spent no small amount of my childhood hours reading and re-reading the books of E Nesbit, the writer of ‘Five Children And It’ and other fabulous tomes. This show has been adapted by Louise Haddington and promises to be magical fun for young viewers aged six and up, and their families. Book your tickets here.

Crackers – A Festive Family Farce | Polka Theatre | until 15 Jan
This one started in November and I am not quite sure why I didn’t mention it then. Possibly just because the list of lovely family shows starting up at that time was quite long and I didn’t feel able to mention all of them. Anyway, here’s a very much, deliberately Christmassy show for you and your children aged five to twelve, which is all about a family who are trying to get ready for Christmas Day. All the info you need right about here.


PANTOMIMES

Little Red Robin Hood | Battersea Arts Centre | 6 Dec-8 Jan (pictured)
And from family shows onto more family shows, for we are in panto territory. And here’s a show that’s clearly selling very well, so please don’t delay ordering yourself some tickets, because if you leave it too long, it might be too late. And the reason for that is, of course, the fact that this is the latest panto-mashup created by the fabulous Sleeping Trees. Head to the venue website here for more info and to book.

Mother Goose | Hackney Empire | until 31 Dec
The Hackney Empire panto is a definite favourite for Londoners, not least because of the presence of veteran panto dame Clive Rowe. This is a reimagining of the classic panto created a very long time ago for music hall/panto dame legend Dan Leno. “What would you do if you found a magical goose who lays golden eggs?!” That, my dear, is the question. Head to this page here to book.

Pride & Prejudice – The Gay Panto | White Bear Theatre | 8-23 Dec
I think I should probably preface this last tip by saying that this one is not for the kids. The fact that it is billed as “the gay panto” may well alert you to the fact that it’s one with adult themes and suitable only for grown ups. You may have seen it before, as it’s not its first outing, but this is a redeveloped version, so you may want to go back. Read all about it here.



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