Reviews

Irish Times writers review the latest events in the arts

Santa's Christmas Mystery
Spirit,
Dublin

It's a gem of an idea to give Santa Claus an evil brother whose mission in life is to ruin Christmas. And that's exactly what Santa's Christmas Mystery, written by Shay Healy and Michael Scott, is all about.

The show begins gently enough as the children in the audience wave up at the larger-than-life Santa Claus (a suitably burly and deep-voiced, Robert O'Connor) as he sings his song, Welcome to the North Pole.

Then, we meet Darren (Damien Douglas), the Christmas Tree man who, together with girlfriend, Sharon (Elaine Hearty) and Santa's elves Humpy, Lumpy and Grumpy, are here to make Christmas for the boys and girls.

But when the gaunt, evil Insanity Claus (Kieran Gough) comes on stage, dressed in a black version of Santa's traditional garb, the tone changes and some of the younger children in the audience are genuinely scared that he really will spoil Christmas.

Unfortunately, the idea for him to leave clues as to how he plans to ruin Christmas doesn't quite work. His ploy to hypnotise Sharon into stealing Santa's sleigh does, however, and the video link (two screens either side of the stage) showing Sharon and Darren retrieving the sleigh from Insanity Claus adds a far-off dimension. A few karaoke songs (and a few look-behind-yous) later, Christmas is saved from Insanity's claws.

The problem is that some of the cast looked a bit bored and under-whelmed by their roles.

The elves especially overplay their ennui. And, although the venue works reasonably well (the children don't seem to mind the cast waiting in view to come on stage), it doesn't seem quite right to have young children entertained somewhere as dark and cavernous as a nightclub - albeit during the day.

Ultimately, the show is a taster for pantomimes for young children whose attention can't be held for the duration of the full-length pantos.

It's panto-lite without the adult humour or the big stage pizzazz. Some people may prefer to wait until their children are ready for the real thing.

• Ends tomorrow

Sylvia Thompson

Cinderella
Lamberts Puppet Theatre,
Monkstown,
Co Dublin

The Christmas show at Lamberts this year is Cinderella, which has not been performed there for some eight years, and the cognoscenti will notice a few small but effective differences. There has been a continuous process of upgrading the stage facilities, and the latest is an electronic gizmo to control lighting and background sound automatically. The puppeteers are freed to concentrate on the thing they are best at - storytelling.

And they are very good at it indeed. It is traditional that Eugene Lambert, founder of this puppet dynasty, opens the show with his hilarious act featuring dog Judge and Mr Crow, including birthday greetings to children - even a 17-year-old qualified last Saturday. And, talking about the age of audience members, it was extraordinary to note that there seemed to be far more adults than children - one tot was seen towing in three of his seniors.

Then it's on with the motley as Cinders and the two Ugly Sisters take the stage. The old story is delightfully recast using the magical devices available to puppetry. These include lightning changes of set and costume, so that Cinders is, at the appropriate time, transformed into a radiant beauty off to the ball in a magical carriage with footman and white horse - and later, of course, into a scrambling escapee who mercifully sheds a glass slipper in her flight.

And so it goes, to the pleasant and all-forgiving ending. It is worth recording that the Lamberts are sharing their skills with new performers. Here, joining three generations of the old firm, are Ellie Barwise from Sligo (Cinderella voice and manipulation) and Karolina Jurkstaite from Lithuania (puppet manipulation). The torch passes on.

• Daily from Dec 26 until Jan 8, then weekends only until Jan 29

Gerry Colgan

The Nightingale
Riverside Theatre,
Coleraine

One might imagine China and Denmark to be a somewhat unlikely cultural pairing, but it was the ornate Chinese pagoda in Copenhagen's Tivoli Gardens which inspired Hans Christian Andersen to write timeless stories such as The Emperor's New Clothes and The Nightingale.

London-based Yellow Earth Theatre has chosen the latter, in co-production with Hong Kong Arts Festival, as its contribution to the bicentenary of the birth of the Danish writer. And what a bold decision it has been by the Riverside to invite Yellow Earth to be the first Asian company to come to the North with this year's family Christmas show.

It is certainly a world removed from traditional pantomime fare and the young audience initially seems unsure about how to respond to its gentle humour and lyricism. But from the onset, in visual terms alone, this delicious production holds us in the palm of its hand.

Director David Tse has skilfully adapted the familiar story, returning it to its Chinese roots and presenting it with all the gorgeous imagery and exoticism that prompted a vogueish obsession with "chinoiserie" in 18th-century Europe.

Its themes of past and present, nature versus artifice, are amusingly brought together by setting ancient Chinese customs and social mores against the hi-tech popular culture of modern day Japan, personified respectively by Fiona Liu's thrilling interpretation of the delicate, sweet-voiced little nightingale and Haruka Kuroda's mischievously tawdry mechanical singing bird.

And Jamie Zubairi brings a nicely sardonic tone to the tragedy of the bereaved Emperor, who tries in vain to bind the nightingale's wings, before realising that he can never stop her heart.

• Until Dec 23

Jane Coyle