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'Lots of absolutely bonkers funny bits here that kids will love'
The Lyceum’s festive show has always been, in recent history anyway, a classy and classic tale with sumptuous sets and Christmas card perfect scenes: Wendy and Peter Pan; the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; and 2019’s A Christmas Carol, the last production before the pandemic hit.
This year the show is somewhat different. Christmas Dinner is an original piece of theatre, set in the present day and as nutty as the nut roast one of the characters dresses up as.
Lesley is a Christmas-hating stage hand, clearing up a theatre on Christmas Eve and resisting all attempts to get her to join in any festivities. There’s no Christmas show at her theatre this year – just like the Lyceum was last year, it is shut up and audience-free.
Just as she’s about to leave, though, four spirits arrive; the ghosts of a hammy old actor, an Edinburgh grand dame theatre-goer, a slightly awkward chap and a showgirl with a feather headdress who only speaks in birdsong. This bizarre bunch been summoned by the theatre itself which is overwhelmed with sadness as there are no stories being played out on its stage.
The first half (there’s no interval but the show feels like it has two distinct halves) sees the spirits’ various madcap attempts to create the story the theatre wants to hear, including dressing up as the meat and veg from a Christmas dinner; lots of absolutely bonkers funny bits here that kids will love. The second is a more serious and heart-warming fairytale-style retelling of Lesley’s own story of having a frozen heart and how she can learn to love Christmas again.
My son said: “I liked the part where they all dressed up as food because it was wacky and funny.”
The Lyceum says the show is suitable for the whole family but particularly 8+. Content-wise I don’t think there would be anything unsuitable for a bit younger than that. While some of it will go over their heads, actually there is a lot quite a lot of the modern-day parable stuff that will be totally understandable to small people, such as the theatre being sad - kids being quite used to the idea that inanimate objects have feelings.
There’s no particular audience participation although there is one point where you can help by rubbing your hands together. The secret to Lesley’s sadness might be upsetting to any small people who have lost a loved elderly relative but it’s never spelled out explicitly other than in fairytale form.
At 75 minutes with no interval, it’s probably more a test of their bladder and/or concentration level but that does have a pay-off – you’re out of the theatre at 8.15pm; we were back home getting ready for bed at 9pm which isn’t bad for a big Christmas night out.
*Christmas Dinner runs at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Grindlay Street, Edinburgh EH3 9AX , until January 2. Evening performances 6pm or 7pm, matinees 1.30pm or 2.30pm. Socially distanced performances on selected dates. Tickets are £12- £26, visit the website to book tickets.
Pic credit: Mihaela Bodlovic