Your Christmas Carol Experience, produced by Lilli Leehman and directed by Kelsey Yuhara, immerses you wholly and guides you through varying experiences, with each of the three Christmas spirits from the classic Christmas Carol. Navigated through the help of cue cards, scents, magic, music and reflection, you are given the chance to remember the past, enjoy the present and are reminded to be hopeful for the future. Designed to be a wonderfully innovative and immersive experience, this show is unlike any other Christmas Carol inspired piece.
Audiences are invited to take part in the experience in smaller groups, and it becomes more of a journey and experience. The audience are invited to various rooms, and spaces within the theatre, including a quick trip outside to a cabin. The show experiments with the senses, using voice overs, essential oils and snacks. The experience does plunge the audience into darkness for a few moments, and there is a lot of standing and brief moments of walking between the experiences.
The spirit of the past is the strongest element of the show. Split into pairs or trios, you are given a deck of cue cards that induce conversation, internal reflection and some action (these include smelling essential oils, and tasting snacks, however you can choose not to do them). The room is draped with white cloth, adding to affect. With the three Christmas past spirits (Yuxuan Liu, Noah Silverstone and Ashlee MacIntosh) speaking from various parts of the room, it's a rather mystical and immersive experience, accompanied by the spirits slowly moving in the background. This is a surprisingly effective and freeing conversation between strangers, allowing the intimate group to bond.
The spirit of Christmas present most resembles a more typical theatre production. Welcomed into the home of a "present friend", the cabin has been decorated to be a cosy home. With a bright Christmas tree and warm coloured decorations and two particularly charming performers (Andrew Phoenix and Hannah Hawkins), it's a contrast from the previous experience. Blindfolded and restricted to a chair, the spirit of Christmas stuns with a series of magic tricks and playful banter with the audience. Quite interactive and cheerful initially with the magic tricks, it later becomes more thoughtful with a beautiful metaphor about human connection using candles.
The final section with spirit of Christmas future, is more atmospheric based. With some beautiful music performed live, and another performer (Mahalakshmi) chanting and guiding the audience to look ahead to the future. The room is darker, decorated with mirrors and lit mostly with candle light, it's a beautiful environment. Gently placing candles into sand boxes and having a peaceful moment with them, provides a rather serene sense.
Whilst the experience does predominantly revolve around the well known Christmas Carol characters, unfortunately that's where the resemblance stops. Without the inclusion of any other prominent characters or a connecting narrative, it feels like quite disjointed, especially as the guides escorting the audience between the rooms are largely silent. The experience ends quite abruptly after being escorted to the theatre's bar, where the audience are encouraged to sit, drink and relax. It was quite an unsatisfying ending to a show that started out rather promisingly.
Your Christmas Carol Experience is a delightful, immersive walk through your own memories, magic and the spirit of Christmas and connection. A transportive environment filled with magical delights awaits you and sets out to prove that the Christmas Carol wasn't meant just for Scrooge.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
AD | gifted tickets in return for an honest review
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