Soho Theatre – until 23 December 2022
Reviewed by Claire Roderick
5*****
My face is still aching after watching this show. Nick Mohammed’s Mr Swallow shows are always hilarious, but A Christmas Carol-ish is the glittering star at the top of the tree. The cheesy Christmas set with giant candy canes and mountainous towers of presents is soon explained as Swallow’s long-suffering partner Mr Goldsworth (David Elms) explains that they couldn’t get the rights to perform the Dickens classic. So instead of a Victorian miser, we have a self-centred Santa and his neglected and abused reindeer and elves. Kieran Hodgson plays Rudolph (Hess) the reindeer while Elms plays head elf. The fates of the other North Pole staff are discovered in a hilarious song later in the show.
AS Mr Goldsworth and Swallow squabble over the script, the Scrooge/Santa story plays out with flashbacks and flash forwards and it all gets ridiculously meta, and sillier. The voice of God turns up , leading to an excruciating funny attempt by Swallow to remember the lyrics to Silent Night before we get to witness the birth of Jesus – complete with midwife. Adding to the chaos is Mr Swallow’s friend Rochelle (Sarah Hadland), who sits impatiently on the side of the stage, waiting for her chance to sing a number from her album, and receiving alerts about which character a desperate Lloyd Webber needs her to cover today (she was in Cats once).
Santa’s whining and laziness – maybe he could just deliver presents to 5 children? – should ultimately lead to a redemption arc, but the ghosts’ visits (including him annoying Marley with the burning question – 3 or 4 ghosts?) simply lead to more and more idiocy. The skill it takes to perform something that appears so chaotic is incredible, and the entire cast are at the top of their game. Musically, the Christmas variety tone is perfect, with insane lyrics from Mohammed reaching a pinnacle with Sarah Hadland’s bonkers number about loving a turkey. That song is worth the ticket price alone. In true panto style, there is some audience participation, leading to a brilliant physical performance from Mohammed that draws gasps from the audience.
This nonsense is a ridiculous and silly joy. The perfect Christmas show for anybody wanting to escape the cold – come in and embrace the chaos of Mr Swallow.