The Christmas Thing is a hilarious and heartwarming show—and a much-welcome alternative to the Christmas pantos. This show, created by the company Mr. Thing, is all about Christmas and you. Us. The Studio audience, who are there to witness the best Christmas TV Special out there. Well, the best Christmas TV Special that is airing to absolutely no-one and nowhere.
While I understood this was a multimedia and comedic performance, I wasn’t quite expecting this much joy and Christmas cheer. But this 2-hour sketch comedy, improv and multimedia show had me in stitches. I was giggling with delight and thoroughly entertained. And I particularly enjoyed the way the tech and media supported the liveness of the performance, and vice versa. That is not an easy feat when oftentimes too much tech can overpower a production. But Tom Clarkson and Owen Visser (both writers and co-hosts), alongside the crew of Things, weave this together seamlessly.
I was also pleasantly surprised by the plot that they managed to weave into the story. The premise of a TV Special was enough - and in a way lured me into a false sense of safety with the show. But as the plot (which I can’t spoil for you) thickened through the use of excellent acting and a very endearing puppet, I found myself invested in a way I wasn’t expecting. When you hear sketch comedy and improv, you automatically think of something that is possibly disjointed. This show was hilariously unhinged at times and then wonderfully balanced at other times. This, I believe, comes from a very good script, strong improv between Clarkson and Visser and ultimately effective tech.
The only thing to note is with any sort of improv or comedy show, it is very audience participation heavy. This is not bad if you’re comfortable with that - and even more so if you’re comfortable taking part yourself. But even then the audience participation is gentle and plays into people’s strengths as much as possible. There’s also a very clear disclaimer that if you really don’t want to participate, that is absolutely fine.
And honestly, it was! The only two things (yes, pun intended) are that the show is reliant on audience participation and did feel too long at times. I imagine that depending on who is in the audience, the production can either soar to new heights or stagnate. I’m happy to say that our audience was lovely and very willing to join in. All of this - the ingenious sketches, the fantastic audience interactions and the witty presenters and tech - made for one festive and uproarious night.
So, if you want to see something live, fresh and entertaining to get you in the holiday spirit, look no further than The Christmas Thing.
The Christmas Thing runs at Seven Dials Playhouse until 21st December.
★★★★★ (5*)
Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Photography by Nia Vesser
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