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We invited local theatre enthusiast and blogger, Jamie from Thrifty Mumma Thrifty Bubba, to review the opening night of Flint Street Nativity for us taking place at Cheltenham Playhouse Theatre until the 23 November. Promoting itself as 'a festive comedy about kids - for adults' we were keen to find out whether it lived up to her high expectations. Read on to find out...
Nestled in the heart of Cheltenham, the intimate Playhouse Theatre is delightfully warm, cosy and inviting on a cold winter’s night. It is a wonderful setting to enjoy the Flint Street Nativity.
Written by Tim Firth, creator of the hugely successful Calendar Girls, the Flint Street Nativity was first shown in 1999 as a TV Christmas special which featured celebrity comedians as the cast.
A play within a play, the show tells the story of Mrs Horrocks’ class of seven year olds as they prepare for their annual school nativity. It’s truly a festive comedy about kids – for adults!
As expected, when adults play the children in one act and their parents in the second, comedy, calamity and chaos ensues.
As the audience took their seats we were treated to a lively Christmas song soundtrack. The stage was set as an infant school classroom complete with handprint paintings, gold star behaviour chart and role play area.
We first meet Jenny Bennett, the star of the class, who has been cast as Mary (Sarah Bottomley) and her rival Ashleigh who has been cast as Angel Gabriel (Anna Lambert) much to her disgust!
Downtrodden Shamima who has been cast as second Angel (Charlotte Wilson) has the unenviable task of keeping bully Ashleigh happy without upsetting Wise Man Gold (Mary Peterson) too much.
In contrast, Wise Man Frankincense (Simon Byrne) suffers with a lisp and is struggling to pronounce ‘Frankincense’ let alone remember the rest of his lines!
The twins who play the Shepherd (Harriet Tarpy) and the Innkeeper (Neil Webber) provide a hilarious viewpoint on the situation while the NASA obsessed Star (Richard Williams) strikes the perfect balance between being annoying and being interesting.
Narrator (Jamie Kitson) presents a lovable, conscientious pupil the audience can sympathise with whilst Question of Sport fanatic Joseph/Herod (Andy Willcocks) offers comic relief between rehearsals.
The Ass (Daniel Storey) and the swearing pinata Donkey do a sterling job of portraying the animals present for the nativity to much laughter. Special mention to Peter Crouch the stick insect and resident class pet!
Infant school illnesses are satirised from chicken pox and incontinence to sickness and other landmark moments are lampooned such as school boy crushes, rebel rule breaking and being teacher’s pet.
Memorable moments from our own childhoods reign supreme and the audience could easily relate to the on-stage mishaps of the cast and the socially awkward misgivings of their parents.
Simple set changes and effective lighting added to the general effect of a clunky primary school production.
While the original production was adapted for the stage in 2006, this latest version offers the excellent addition of parodied traditional carols for your entertainment! These songs were a highlight of the show and produced many laughs with lines such as ‘To you and your kin – or king – or something!’
This show will appeal to teachers, parents, Christmas lovers and those who love to relive their childhood. One thing is for sure, this is one nativity that you won’t want to bring your children to!
The Flint Street Nativity is a feel-good festive farce which celebrates the special joy of Christmas through a child’s eyes.
To book tickets and to view the upcoming programme for The Playhouse Theatre visit: https://www.cheltplayhouse.org.uk/
About the author:
Gloucestershire born and bred, Jamie lives in a leafy Cotswold village with her husband and baby daughter. When she’s not looking after her family, working as a primary school teacher or searching the charity shops, you can usually find her at the theatre or on the beach. For more hints, tips, bargains and finds subscribe to Jamie’s dedicated blog: thriftymummathriftybubba.com
Related
Welcome to Cheltenham Playhouse Theatre; an intimate community theatre set in a Regency period building.
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