REVIEW: Having reviewed most Chichester Festival Youth Theatre productions this is my verdict on A Boy Called Christmas
What was Father Christmas like as a boy? What inspired him on his quest to deliver every good child a gift in the early hours of Christmas Day? Chichester Festival Youth Theatre seeks to answer these any many more questions in A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig. Adapted for the stage by Philip Wilson and with music and lyrics by Tom Brady and Philip Wilson it runs at Chichester Festival Theatre until Wednesday December 31. Editor In Chief Gary Shipton was in the audience for the press night.
Christmas is all about tradition as well, of course, as celebrating the birth of Christ.
Decorated trees, carol services, flaming puddings containing silver sixpences, family meals of turkey, and the express parcel service offered by Santa Claus are among the most notable.
But here in Sussex the real annual treat is the Christmas show performed by our own Chichester Festival Youth Theatre.
The CFT doesn’t do pantomime. Often the Christmas plays aren’t even specifically festive in nature. The producers are never afraid to tackle the dark as well as the light.
For all these reasons, the youth theatre’s productions are adult shows of supreme quality that young people have chosen to stage.
Synonymous with all this is one name in particular. Dale Rooks has quietly and unassumingly enabled the youth theatre to evolve into simply the greatest production group of its kind on the planet. The work is globally recognised.
How wonderful then that she is in the director’s chair for this unashamedly festive helping of fun.
Eleven-year-old Nikolas, also known as ‘Christmas’ because he was born on December 25, embarks on a mission to find his father who with six others are on a dangerous journey to find Elfhelm, the fabled village of the elves.
With his pet mouse Miika and a reindeer called Blitzen who he saves en route, Nikolas faces extraordinary hardship as well – as the song proclaims – joy and goodwill during his adventures.
By the end he has discovered his future role in life – that of the Father Christmas, the legend that keeps countless children from falling asleep every Christmas Eve.
This is a glorious production. Even with enthusiastic parents, friends and relatives in the audience, on quality alone it truly merited the standing ovation at the conclusion.
The music is bright, uplifting and adds extraordinary dimension to the story being told.
The costumes (let’s hear it for designer Ryan Dawson Laight) are stunning. A masterpiece in their own right.
As with many youth theatre productions we have masterful puppetry – with Miika and the troll. The puppetry designer and director are Charlie Tymms and Romina Hytten respectively and both deserve our praise.
But the cast are outstanding. Word perfect. Mesmerising. Faultless.
Unlike adult performances, the key roles are played on rota by a number of different actors. Just imagine the challenges. This is not merely one play but a whole series of them rehearsed in parallel. A daunting but magnificent undertaking.
On press night, Devon Sandell was Nikolas. This was as accomplished and polished performance as you could see on any West End stage.
But there were no weaklings.
So three cheers for Dominic Lacey as his well-meaning father Joel, Olivia Dickens as Miika the mouse, Laila Fletcher as the selfish and brutally unkind Aunt Carlotta, Daisy Chapman as the smug and self-righteous Truth Pixie, Reuben McGreevy as Father Vodol, Jack Walter-Nelson as the bad-tempered Sebastian (the troll), and George Stanbridge as the frightening bear.
Laila Fletcher’s and Daisy Chapman’s performances were particularly noteworthy. Outstanding.
Alexander Solly delivered a stand-out performance as Blitzen the reindeer. It is one thing to project a character with words and song. But this role has none of those assets to assist. Alexander’s performance was exceptional in his ability to command the persona through look and movement alone.
Finally, a word for all those parents who provide their children with a non-stop taxi service to endless rehearsals and all the shows.
The Truth Pixie could not tell a lie. Only the truth. And taking a leaf from her book so do I when, having seen virtually all the youth theatre productions ever staged at the CFT over 40 years, this is simply one of the best.
In booking your tickets you are not merely encouraging the next generation of actors, business leaders, and public orators – you are guaranteeing yourself a seat at the best of the Christmas traditions that Chichester has to offer.