A hilarious serving of Christmas chaos
IT’S crazy. It’s chaotic. It’s a predictable Christmas with all its trimmings and familial fun delivered in the most hilarious unpredictable way. And by the way, it is very, very funny.
Increasingly synonymous with theatre excellence in Townsville, Theatreinq inevitably serve up exceptional quality with a good dollop of unpredictability. I admit, though, that I did not know quite to expect from this show, which is probably just as well. With all the audience involvement in this crazy state of affairs, no one (in
cluding the cast) can know precisely what is going happen – and every performance is guaranteed to be different.
Developed from an idea from her late mentor JeanPierre Voos, Artistic Director Terri Brabon has scored with an original, wild, witty and clever production. This may be a Christmas show, but don’t expect this to be panto or some other harmless family fun – it most definitely isn’t- this is Christmas for the grown-ups.
To begin the good-natured fun, we are introduced to two decidedly Aussie Christmas elves, Zim Ding (Ashleigh Dodson) and Zim Dong (Nicholas Rose) who set the
audience nonsense up for the evening. Then we get to the five “professional idiots” who play Mum, Dad, Nanna and the two kids of the house. And who knows which of the manic five-member ensemble cast (Michael Doris, Michael Gleeson, Emma Lamberton, Keely Pronk and Paris Walsh) will end up playing which caricature!
Delivering the show with machine-gun-fire rapidity, there is hardly a moment in the 90-odd minutes when these five actors are not delivering simultaneous mayhem in some way or another. At times there is a group scene and at other times there are five different scenes going on
around the stage – each one frenetically and frantically funny in its individual way.
It is a contemporary and familial Christmas, and it’s all there: the family (you may undoubtedly recognise yourself and perhaps your own Christmas habits); the nonsensical competitive party games demonstrating dubious personal skills; the woeful Christmas cracker jokes; the unexpected callers at the door; the farcical queuing for the loo when the Christmas pud takes effect, and there’s even the reason why more children are born around 25 September than at any other time of the year!
To add to the mayhem, familiar Christmas songs and carols are turned upside down and sung to the tunes of other well-known songs, but somehow the lyrics all fit.
The events of the night may be slightly random, but it is unbridled, uproarious and unpredictable hilarity. You can be certain of one thing – one of the most hysterically enjoyable nights of entertainment you have had all year, so you had better race to get a ticket.
My cheeks hurt by the end – yours will too!
Xmas Crackers plays in Theatreinq Clubhouse, Hyde Park until 10 December. Booking at https:// www.theatreinq.com/
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