HOW DOES SANTA GO DOWN THE CHIMNEY?

Unicorn Theatre

★★★★★

“a show brimming with invention, precision, and joy”

“How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney?” may not offer one definitive answer—but it conjures a hundred possibilities, each more delightful than the last. This enchantingly crafted production at the Unicorn Theatre, adapted from Mac Barnett’s book, turns a childhood question into pure theatrical magic.

The festive magic begins the moment audiences enter the space. Each seat carries a Christmas headpiece, turning the auditorium into a sea of bobbing reindeer antlers and Santa hats. A gentle Scandinavian folk melody drifts in as an endearing reindeer appears, inviting the audience to join in song. Only later do we realise that this reindeer is also Frida Cæcilia Rødbroe, the show’s composer—whose musical wit and stage presence bookend the production with spirited charm. One standout moment is when Frida sings “Daddy put the key under the flower pot!”—to tie the gag together with satisfying wit.

Sonya Smullen’s set design is a masterclass in evocative simplicity: a clean snow-white world accented with deep red velvet, a multi-purpose prop that cleverly transforms into a washing machine, television, chimney and printer. The sudden appearance of a giant Santa leg punctuates the space with playful surprise, while the overall aesthetic remains elegantly minimal—a stage that feels both intimate and infinitely imaginative.

Mikey Ureta’s Santa is a burst of energy, breaking into rhythmic footwork and breakdance-inflected moves that electrify the stage. His Santa is amplified, duplicated and reimagined through the ensemble: Nathan Queeley-Dennis and Giulia Innocenti (hilariously memorable as a disgruntled washing-lady) contribute sharply drawn character moments that keep the energy bouncing across the stage.

What truly sets this production apart is its fearless embrace of interaction. The fourth wall isn’t so much broken as joyfully dismantled. Children are invited to sing, shout clues, tighten Santa’s belt, and even join “dog” patrols sniffing through the aisles. One particularly triumphant moment sees a young audience member “rescue” the key—a gesture that sparks cheers across the room. Even the modern dilemma of Santa entering flats and high-rises is handled with humour and contemporary flair.

Throughout, the sound design by Esther Kehinde Ajayi and live foley effects performed by the cast create a delicious sonic landscape: from “Santa Baby” riffs to playful Mission Impossible beats to a hand-tapped “Merry Christmas.” With minimal spoken text, the show relies on rhythm and precision—and it never loses its audience for a second.

Director Paul Hunter demonstrates an impeccable understanding of children’s theatre. His adaptation balances clarity with imaginative mischief, ensuring every setup receives its payoff. The puppet-to-actor translation is handled with generosity and playfulness, keeping the world inventive and emotionally alive.

The emotional climax arrives quietly yet powerfully: a child from the audience is invited to “switch on” the great Christmas tree. As lights surge and the opening melody returns, the space glows with a sense of shared wonder. This is a show that understands imagination as a collective act—one where children and adults play side by side.

This is a show brimming with invention, precision, and joy—every element tightly interlocking in a way that feels both thoroughly modern and deeply magical. If there is one regret, it is only that the imaginative answers to how Santa goes down the chimney must eventually come to an end. A triumph of festive theatre, and a gift to audiences of all ages.

HOW DOES SANTA GO DOWN THE CHIMNEY?

Unicorn Theatre

Reviewed on 26th November 2025

by Portia Yuran Li

Photography by Manuel Harlan

Previously reviewed by Portia:

THE FIREWORK MAKER’S DAUGHTER | ★★★★ | POLKA THEATRE | November 2025

ME… | ★★★★ | LITTLE ANGEL THEATRE | November 2025

HATER | ★★★★ | THE SPACE | November 2025

NARAN JA | ★★★★ | PLAYGROUND THEATRE | November 2025

WOO WOOLF | ★★★ | COCKPIT THEATRE | November 2025

PUBLIC SHARING: DICK FIDDLER IS DEAD | ★★½ | ETCETERA THEATRE | November 2025

BLOODY MARY AND THE NINE DAY QUEEN | ★★★½ | UNION THEATRE | October 2025

GETTING THROUGH IT | ★★★★★ | OLD VIC | October 2025

DWEEB-A-MANIA | ★★★★★ | POLKA THEATRE | October 2025

HOW DOES SANTA

RHINOCEROS

Almeida Theatre

★★★★

“an appeal to the senses, an experience as peculiar and nonsensical as a fit of the giggles”

Director Omar Elerian’s electrifying interpretation of the absurdist classic Rhinoceros is as much about theatre as it is about marauding pachyderms.

In his vision of French Romanian writer Eugene Ionesco’s 1959 fable, Elerian meticulously parodies the conventions of theatre and presents them back to the audience with a knowing wink.

In this case, theatre becomes a series of artificial and disconnected moments that meld alchemically into a kaleidoscopic whole.

People don’t so much talk to each other as engage in the mechanics of dialogue, delivering nonsensical retorts and ever spiralling repetitions. No-one listens. Communication is impossible. Extended riffs on, say, the number of horns on the eponymous rhinoceros rise into a dizzying tumult of words, sometimes pin sharp, then losing focus, only to return to a semblance of meaning measured by weight alone.

The audience is puzzled, bored, irritated, mesmerised, intrigued, amused – often within the same minute.

In an overlong and sometimes grating production, the story features a provincial French village – perhaps something out of a Wes Anderson movie – with a cast of deadpan pedants and eccentrics. A rhinoceros charges through the village square causing chaos. Then another, which tramples a cat. Soon it emerges that the villagers themselves are becoming the beasts.

Political writer Ionescu was, perhaps, thinking of the spread of fascism in pre-war France, making points about conformity and appeasement to the monstrous.

Elerian, wisely, veers away from heavy-handed politics and leans into the comedy. In his own translation, he updates the gags to include references to Covid, Wallace and Gromit and Severance. He gathers about him a troupe of actors superbly adept at the challenge of farce.

John Biddle, Hayley Carmichael, Paul Hunter, Joshua McGuire, Anoushka Lucas, Sophie Steer, and Alan Williams – in suitable white coats against a box-of-tricks white stage – are put through their paces in a series of scenarios, like an improv troupe picking suggestions out of a top hat.

Elerian creates a grandiose, meta-flecked circus – complete with clowns, kazoos and funny wigs. His message appears to be that laughter creates community when meaning fails.

In the most effective sequence McGuire, as Jean, battles with the agonies of transformation, a rousing set piece that exemplifies the thrilling choreography that is a highlight of the production.

Like Jean, the villagers succumb one by one to the plague until the hero of the piece, flustered slob and everyman Berenger (Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù), is left on his own, making a stand against the onslaught.

At this point, anti-theatre becomes theatre again. Rhinoceros finally relies on the tropes of storytelling to make a connection – but too late. Without the groundwork, this burst of coherent humanity feels unearned.

Never mind. Rhinoceros is an appeal to the senses, an experience as peculiar and nonsensical as a fit of the giggles.

Tag Archives: Paul Hunter

HOW DOES SANTA GO DOWN THE CHIMNEY?

★★★★★

Unicorn Theatre

HOW DOES SANTA GO DOWN THE CHIMNEY?

Unicorn Theatre

★★★★★

“a show brimming with invention, precision, and joy”