An irreverent look at the festive season – just what I needed after trying to go shopping and being mind-numbed by Christmas songs and then nauseated by usual suspect children’s shows.
Anyone who has seen a Flossy and Boo show will know these two delightful characters who combine music, singing, comedy and a tiny bit of naughtiness to take an another world look at our crazy world.
There is a smattering of audience participation but nothing to scare the shy amongst you as it is all very gentle and witty and if you get asked to tell a joke, as I was, they have that covered should, like me, your mind goes blank. Well that was a first!
This is a light-hearted cabaret-style show in the excellent The Other Room space in Porter’s bar with a small capacity so you really are easily absorbed into the entertainment which here is a satirical look at the ridiculousness that is Christmas in contemporary society.
We are welcomed into the space by our hosts, Flossy and Boo (Anja Conti and Laura Jeffs). I say hi to Flossy who looks at me as if I am a little daft when I ask which one she is, as she strokes her candy floss coloured hair –duh! Boo has a shocking blue wig and they both wear outlandishly retro, mismatching costumes. As they tell us, they really are not of this world.
But then they also tell us when they were asked to put this show together they did confess that knew nothing about Christmas and, oops, nothing about making a show, so much research was required. This forms the bulk of the show, as they tell us what they discovered.
They are trying to create a Nativity play but my goodness this is one with a difference and having spent so much time ukulele playing and jolly songs singing they are told by their long-suffering producer Bethan Dawson (at the back of the space) they have only a few minutes to perform that show.
That is raced through and we all have our parts to play. It is based on the outcomes of their research which are twisted versions of reality and shows up the contradictions, nonsense, hypocrisy and greed of what this once religious celebration has become. It is far more difficult to do this using humour, making us laugh and enjoy ourselves, than the well-meaning and so often dreary didactic lecturing from other theatre spaces.
Some segments and songs worked better than others and I did not find the looking for love on the train as amusing as some of the other ditties and I lost my way in a couple of the Christmas card message gags, for example. But that did not stop me leaving with a big cheesy grin on my sprout flavoured moosh.
It would ruin the fun to tell any of the jokes, the daft routines, the content of the songs and the use of props and video so go along and enjoy. It might make Christmas almost bearable.
Until December 23.
http://www.otherroomtheatre.com/en/whats-on/current-productions/