@sohoplace – until 31 December 2024
Reviewed by Claire Roderick
5*****
After a gala night plagued, and eventually halted, by technical issues – the ghost of Charles Dickens resolving the rights loophole perhaps? – Nick Mohammed’s frenetic and fabulous Christmas show is running as smoothly as brandy butter down granny’s chin.
The 2022 run at Soho Theatre embraced the chaotic plot brilliantly, but this slicker and glitzier West End production raises the comedy bar. Mohammed is always hilarious as the egotistical and selfish Mr. Swallow and putting him in a play he hasn’t prepared for – and is wilfully rewriting as he goes along – is comedy gold.
Mr. Swallow and long-suffering partner Mr. Goldsworth (David Elms) are joined by Jonathan (Kieran Hodgson) and Rochelle (Martha Howe-Douglas) to stage the show. Due to rights issues, Goldsworth has rewritten the show with Santa as the central character. Mr. Swallow is ideal to act as the selfish Santa, with Rochelle and Mr. Goldsworth as his elves and Jonathan as Rudolph (Hess), Santa’s lone surviving reindeer. As Santa limits hay rations and looks for tax loopholes, he is visited by the ghost of elf Marley. 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 ghosts or 3 additional ghosts?) lead to more and more idiocy as Christmas is cancelled and uncancelled.
As Swallow fires constant questions and points out the many plot holes in the script and squabbles with the increasingly frustrated Mr Goldsworth, the Scrooge/Santa story plays out with flashbacks and flash forwards and it all gets ridiculously meta and sillier. We even get the voice of God making an appearance, leading to an excruciatingly funny attempt by Mr. Swallow and company to remember the lyrics to Silent Night before we get to witness the birth of Jesus – complete with midwife.
Musically, Oliver Birch has created a near perfect Christmas variety tone, made even more spectacular by insane lyrics from Mohammed. In true panto style, there is some audience participation and magic, leading to a brilliant physical performance from Mohammed that draws gasps from the audience.
Mohammed’s script is clever and silly, with Mr. Swallow’s overacting and revelling in Santa’s cruelty allowing Mohammed to let rip and have a ball with this ridiculously broad character – a real surprise for those sitting around me who had only seen Mohammed in Ted Lasso (the 2 Emmy nominations get mentioned in the show – obviously!) Elms is wonderfully uptight as poor Mr. Goldsworth and Hodgson is sweetly hangdog as hapless Jonathan. Howe-Douglas is a hoot as Rochelle, leaning into the northern club singer vibe brilliantly (although Rochelle has performed Lloyd Webber shows all round the world, including Horsham)
The skill it takes to perform and direct something that appears so chaotic is incredible, and director Matt Peover and the entire cast are at the top of their game. Emily Holt’s choreography is beautifully judged to make the dancing seem under-rehearsed and the cast excel at switching between the manic grins and wide-eyed consternation of performers who haven’t a clue what may happen next as they move around the stage and present props on Fly Davis’s atmospheric and inventive Santa’s workshop set.
If you’re not feeling Christmasy yet, get down to @sohoplace for A Christmas Carol (ish). If this funny and festive gift of a show doesn’t warm your heart, then bah, humbug to you.