★★★★

“newcomers of all ages will enjoy this playful and imaginative production”

Creation Theatre’s alternative version of The Nutcracker trades point shoes and pas de deux for plot, characters and a hark back to a wonderfully odd German tale written by E.T.A Hoffmann nearly two centuries ago. Rather than relying on classical ballet and a sweeping score, this production (written and directed by Helen Eastman) leans fully into storytelling giving the familiar characters new depth and transforming the whimsical world of The Nutcracker into something more vivid and emotionally resonant with a touch of ‘Toy Story’ thrown in.

At its heart is Marie (played with childish wonder by Hayley Murray) a perceptive little girl who sees things that adults cannot. It is Christmas Eve and Marie and her annoying brother Fritz are helping their mother (Asha Cornelia Cluer who also plays Clara and the twinkly Sugar Plum Fairy) to decorate the Christmas tree. All three have a very different perception of what a perfect Christmas should be. We see the fraught Christmas of her mother trying frantically to juggle everything before the big day, Fritz taking delight in tormenting his sister and timid Marie who just wants her mother to listen to her and is happy for them all to just be together. Their eccentric Uncle Drosselmeyer pays them a visit and gives Marie a toy nutcracker (a marvellously wooden performance by Clark Alexander who also plays Drosselmeyer) as a Christmas present. When The Nutcracker and her favourite toy Clara later come alive to wage war against the fiendish Mouse King, whose subjects have taken up residence in her house, she is drawn into a surreal hidden world of sweets, mice and the Sugar Plum Fairy. Here she finds her confidence and discovers her own superpowers – kindness, friendship, loyalty and some very useful yet appalling recorder playing!

The Mouse King (played by Andy Owens who also plays Fritz) is a kind of gangster rapper baddie who has a delightfully witty scene of cleverly rephrased Shakespearean quotes ‘a plague on both your mouses’, ‘friends, rodents, countrymen…’ which helps to pick up the pace in the second half along with a hilarious battle scene involving brussels sprouts. The children, who are all part of Creation Theatre’s education programme that reaches hundreds of children annually through weekly drama clubs and holiday workshops, play the mice and various sweets and sing along to the catchy original songs by composer Patrick Stockbridge. They even serenade us with carols in the foyer – what a lovely touch.

The adaptable set (David Spence) is a jauntily angled classic living room with candy striped walls, hung with the odd masterpiece and a black and white liquorice allsorts floor. Drosselmeyer peers down at the action through the lath and plaster ceiling bursting with clock mechanisms reflecting the style of the pre Victorian era in which it was written.

Modern ballets ignore the tale within a tale which is acted out in this production and explains The Nutcracker’s enchantment. The original story hints that beneath all the Christmas sparkle lies something darker than the sugar-coated story this has become over the years. Long time fans of the original will appreciate the respectful nods to tradition while newcomers of all ages will enjoy this playful and imaginative production of The Nutcracker.

BROWN BOYS SWIM at the Soho Theatre

★★★½

“It’s a slick and stylish production under the direction of John Hoggarth”

Kash and Mohsen are friends living in Oxford on the cusp of adulthood. Kash is a bit of a clown who loves to dance to the latest Punjabi music, Bob Marley and the Spinners. Mohsen is more academic and is more interested in getting into Oxford uni than getting his classmates to like him. But when the boys hear their classmate plans to throw a pool party there is one thing they agree on. They need to learn how to swim. Kash just wants to use it as an opportunity to flirt but Mohsen understands it as an opportunity to break stereotypes and learn a valuable life skill. For the sake of safety more than anything else he’s up for the challenge.

Brown Boys Swim is a classic story of contemporary British cultural dislocation. The boys are torn between their religion and islamic identity, and the ways and mores of their school mates. They bond over their trips to the mosque, fantasizing about their future wedding ceremonies and what sweets their mums’ have made for Eid. But where they clash is over whether and how to conform with their peers; from growing beards to at the extreme drinking alcohol.

It’s a slick and stylish production under the direction of John Hoggarth. James Button’s set is simple yet versatile. With just a couple of benches and some strip lights the boys move from school to the mosque, gym to the pool. Where the set and props are multipurpose, the costumes are multitudinous – with almost every scene requiring a different outfit. Each transition of set and costume is done intentionally by the actors on stage – wonderfully choreographed in synchronicity by movement director Sita Thomas. Roshan Gunga’s sound design is outstanding – particularly the scenes of the boys at the leisure centre pool where every movement of an arm or a leg is matched by a splashing sound – an impressively evocative feat.

“They play with every splash of humour and heart they’re given in Karim Khan’s script”

All this style is so noticeable because the changes in scene are too frequent and too many – stilting the drama and stopping the characters achieving any real depth. Each time Kash and Mohsen reached an impasse, which happened too quickly and too often to be believable, the scene would end, the set and costumes would very beautifully change, over a minute would go by and then the next scene would start, in a new location with the previous disagreement squashed and forgotten about.

Kashif Ghole and Ibraheem Hussain as Kash and Mohsen gave strong performances. Even more impressive given both actors have only graduated drama school this year. They play with every splash of humour and heart they’re given in Karim Khan’s script. Kashif Ghole is totally endearing, cracking jokes whilst revealing a youthful vulnerability. Ibraheem Hussain gives us a tough exterior that hides some insecurities, but relaxes and warms when mucking about with his friend. The boys portrayal of adolescent friendship is charmingly truthful, and it’s a credit to their performances that the ending is unexpectedly moving.

Despite the committed and impassioned performances and high production value, the lack of depth in the dialogue put constraints on this show’s capacity to really allow the audience to be drawn in to the drama.

THE NUTCRACKER

The North Wall

★★★★

“newcomers of all ages will enjoy this playful and imaginative production”

THE NUTCRACKER

The North Wall

Reviewed on 6th December 2025

by Sarah Milton

Photography by Geraint Lewis

Previously reviewed by Sarah:

THE NUTCRACKER

THE NUTCRACKER

THE NUTCRACKER

BROWN BOYS SWIM at the Soho Theatre

★★★½

“It’s a slick and stylish production under the direction of John Hoggarth”

“They play with every splash of humour and heart they’re given in Karim Khan’s script”

BROWN BOYS SWIM at the Soho Theatre

Reviewed on 4th October 2023

by Amber Woodward

Photography by Geraint Lewis

Previously reviewed at this venue:

Brown Boys Swim

Brown Boys Swim

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