The Night Before Christmas
Southwark Playhouse
Reviewed β 30th November 2018
β β β
βThis not-at-all-family-friendly Christmas tale is wickedly clever, and doesnβt fail to draw laughsβ
Itβs Christmas Eve, and Simon (Michael Salami) is less than thrilled to be called out of bed in the middle of the night. His friend, Gary (Douggie McMeekin), has caught an Elf (Dan Starkey) breaking into his warehouse. Or at least a man dressed like an elf. Elf claims he fell from Santaβs sleigh. Gullible Gary is inclined to believe him. Cynical Simon tells Gary to call the police. Elf begs to be let go, plying them with detailed information about Santa, including the Powdered Christmas Feeling (PCF) he gives to children (great high, no side effects).
Gary and Simon are still deliberating what to do when sex-worker Cherry (Unique Spencer) arrives, demanding the Power Rangers for her son Gary promised her in exchange for sex. Elf says he needs to get back to Santaβs sleigh, but when Cherry checks his arms, she finds track marks. Obviously a junkie. Elf protests, itβs just PFC! Heβll grant each of them one wish if theyβll just let him goβ¦
This not-at-all-family-friendly Christmas tale is wickedly clever, and doesnβt fail to draw laughs. Itβs also touching β surprisingly Christmas-spirited β as even the most jaded adults manage to rediscover the Christmas feeling.
Director Alex Suttonβs revival of Anthony Neilsonβs play, which premiered in London in 1995, is as sweary and gritty (real cigarettes smoked on stage) as its βin-yer-faceβ author intended. Unfortunately though, the story has just got started when itβs dragged to a near-standstill by overly-lengthy expositional dialogue. Gary and Simon spend too long questioning Elf and not believing him. Their extended Q&A interrogates the rules of Santaβs operation to an unnecessary extent, and while Elfβs explanation is unique, itβs pure exposition. The performance feels stalled with Simon constantly threatening to call the police, and neither of them making a decision. When Cherry finally arrives on the scene, itβs like being yanked out of the mud. The pace falters again later with the charactersβ circular debate over which wishes to choose. When a play has a 65-minute runtime, itβs not good for scenes to feel long.
McMeekin, Salami, and Spencer give high-energy, confident performances with skilled comedic timing. Starkeyβs decision to play the elf straightforward β distressed and desperate β forgoes some of the potential comedy in the role. Designer Michael Leopold has made effective use of a sparse set, and delights the audience with some well-timed βChristmas magic.β
Considering Soho Theatreβs 2013 revival of The Night Before Christmas was a musical, thereβs a question of whether this 2018 revival has anything to add to the original. The script provides an excellent premise, but it feels as though Sutton has missed an opportunity to address its flaws, and contribute a fresh perspective.
The Night Before Christmas is fun, silly, βalternativeβ Christmas theatre, but this revival doesnβt lift the play above the originalβs pitfalls.
Reviewed by Addison Waite
Photography by Darren Bell
The Night Before Christmas
Southwark Playhouse until 29th December
Last ten shows reviewed at this venue:
Old Fools | β β β β β | March 2018
The Country Wife | β β β | April 2018
Confidence | β β | May 2018
The Rink | β β β β | May 2018
Why is the Sky Blue? | β β β β β | May 2018
Wasted | β β β | September 2018
The Sweet Science of Bruising | β β β β | October 2018
The Trench | β β β | October 2018
The Funeral Director | β β β β β | November 2018
Seussical The Musical | β β β β | November 2018
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