Wales Millennium Centre – until 23 November 2019
Reviewed by Rhys Payne
4****
If I was reviewing Nativity the movie then I could easily be accused of having a biased as one of my close friends had a starring role in the film. But this is Nativity the Musical which landed at the Wales Millennium Centre and will stay there until the 23rd of November.
For the most part, the musical is simply the film put into the stage. The producers of the show wanted to keep the story and the essence of the show as familiar to the audience as possible. The story revolves around a group of school kids who put on the most spectacular nativity that you have ever seen which leads to hilarious and heartfelt consequences. As it is set around Christmas the show evokes a festive feeling from the audience which is only exaggerated on stage and allows it to be accessible to all ages. It kept its fun-filled nature while also at, some points, moving the audience to tears. One scene that was particularly mirrored from the original is the rock opera adaptation of the King Herod story, done by a rival school. This is a famously strange and uncomfortable watch for the audience in the film and created exactly the same emotions during this stage adaptation.
What was really interesting about the musical version specifically is that it had been carefully constructed and layered so that the show had something for all ages. There were euphemisms, references to current affairs (Brexit specifically), references to historic events and heartfelt and emotional scenes that young audience members may just gloss over. This is a genius way to engage every single person in the audience while preventing the older viewers to feel dragged to a childrenʼs show. A key part of this production was the movement/choreography during the musical numbers. The official choreographers (including Andrew Wright and Rebecca Louise) were able to create dancers that were accessible to all the cast (including the children) as well as it being relevant and reflected the school they were from etc. This was a very clever concept that allowed the show to be very easy to follow and watch so the team should be praised for this accordingly.
At times the show did cross the line of musical production to pantomime especially in the later parts of the show (which isnʼt necessarily a bad thing) it led to some audience participation which involved using their phones to ‘illuminate the stageʼ when the power was cut. This is something that I personally have never seen before and helps makes this show even more fun and unique. The closing numbers of the show were bright, colourful and vibrant which, in my opinion, is the perfect way to send this fun-filled show and made the audience leave with a massive smile on their face and the feeling of Christmas in their hearts.
Obviously, the focal point of the nativity is the children who play the role of the students at St Bernadetteʼs Catholic school. They have to be talented performers, hilariously funny and also have the ahh factor which all the kids in this production did in abundance. Most importantly every child appeared to enjoy being on stage which made the show even more enjoyable to watch. Each child showed tremendous talent and I can’t wait to see where they all end up in the future.
Mr Poppy in this production was played by Scott Paige. This is the lovable, over-excitable teaching assistant who wants to put on the nativity spectacular but is met with a lot of resistance. Scott played this role with a camp and over the top personality that just worked effortlessly with the character from the cheesy quotes (often based on his t-shirts) to the flamboyant dancing and mannerism, he was able to balance this with the softer more innocent side of the character who sucked all the sympathy from the audience with ease. This was a relatable and incredible portrayal of the character for which Scott showcased his acting abilities. Mr Poppy was one of the highlights in the show and delivered many of the comedic moments/jokes.
Two minor roles that I found particularly interesting were Angel Gabrielʼs mum and the rival school’s teacher. Mr Shakespeare, played by Charles Brunton, gave a very exaggerated portrayal of the jealous teacher which led to his performance in the aforementioned King Herod rock opera. His mannerisms and physicalisation drew an obvious comparison to a Squidward from Sponge-Bob Squarepants which actually works perfectly for this role. The Angels mum (who isnʼt named in the programme) was amazing during the number titled ‘good newsʼ where she dueted with her son. She was an incredible singer and dancer and really helped to elevate that number to the level it needed to be at.
Overall this is an incredibly fun, family-friendly and festive show that is an effective homage to the film. I would encourage everyone to watch this production as it will have you dancing in the way home and get you into the Christmas spirit (whether you want to or not!) I would rate this show 4 out of 5 stars.