Twisted Christmas (Liverpool)

The Playhouse Studio opens its doors to an alternative festive show for two nights only, with Twisted Christmas, a travelling band of misfits and wasters.
 
Telling four stories over 90 minutes, the five strong cast lead us into tales of Christmas cheer and also reflection as we prepare ourselves for a day of over indulgence and family bonding.
 
The show starts of with ‘Christmas Cow’ a very modern and twisted version of the Nativity story. With it’s very exaggerated characters and off the wall plot this starts off well but does not seem to be able to hold the story together all the way through and leaves an uncertainty as to how the rest of the show will follow. Thankfully, three well-written tales follow, which offers refreshing, and in some parts a reflective commentary of Christmas.
 
Confidently led by The Alligator Club, the actors all play a musical instrument and with their version of “Violent Night” and “Have Yourself a John Terry Little Christmas”, the musical interludes act as a useful tool in creating the ‘Christmas’ atmosphere, which is perhaps lacking in some of the stories. Joe Shipman shines with his strong performance in ‘Black Dog’ written by Kellie Smith, as does Stephanie Greer in Andrew Ness‘s ‘The Perfume Girl’.
 
With a little tweaking here and there, Twisted Tales offers an alternative night out to those seeking a bit more than the traditional Pantomime.

– Janie Phillips