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Even if you’re having a bit of a Bob Cratchit Christmas, this is the time of year to spoil your family with something special.
A show is always a treat but especially so at Christmas, a time when theatre comes into its own. Of course, it’s great all year round — especially in London — but during the festive season something magical happens.
Theatre brings people together, fills them with joy and sends them away with hope. And what a range of shows the capital offers this December — from the lamplit Old Vic’s A Christmas Carol, to the uplifting spirit of Ballet Shoes at the National. There are the leading stars too — Lily Collins in Barcelona, Daisy Edgar-Jones in the soon-to-open Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and Ncuti Gatwa in The Importance of Being Earnest.
As the old saying goes, no panto, no Pinter
Then there’s the traditional pantomime. Gloriously vaudevillian, sometimes smutty, always joyful, for many theatres it is what keeps the lights on. As the old saying goes, no panto, no Pinter. Not only that, it is fun, irreverent, democratic and can spark a love of theatre in young people that never leaves them.
Aladdin at the Lyric is a case in point. Wonderful, sweet, bonkers and funny, with proper performances. What a joy to be surrounded by children cheering the heroes, booing the baddies and hollering, “He’s behind you” at any given moment. And it’s not just there — theatres from Hackney Empire to the Palladium never fail to thrill the crowds with festive fun. Yesterday I went to see my friend Lyn Paul from the New Seekers in Dick Whittington at The Theatre Royal Windsor. What an uproarious hootenanny! The kids were wide-eyed with wonder.
And it’s not only for the joy of it, it’s your civic duty as a Londoner to book tickets and patronise the theatre at this time of year. Just as you might your local newsagent, butcher or pub. Even though theatres have proved themselves resilient time and time again (the most recent stats covering 2022 showed that theatre attendance in London was up more than seven per cent over 2019, with 16.4 million visits) they need our unwavering support for our playhouses, old and new.
Please don’t take our London shows for granted
Britain proves year after year that it is a genuine world leader when it comes to performance and creativity. But please don’t take our London shows for granted. In the most recent quarter, YouGov found just one in five had been to a show. Hopefully, that will soar over Christmas. There are of course many factors — the price of tickets during a cost-of-living crisis, as well as the wealth of other entertainment at our fingertips — but with luck this Christmas season can change all that. Theatre can give families that festive experience and leave them wanting more.
As a jobbing actor there’s an extra special fillip to being in shows at Christmas time. Backstage, actors invariably discuss the temperament of the auditorium. “Oh, they’re a tough crowd tonight!” or “What a lovely bunch!” — and during Christmas it’s much more likely to be the latter.
My first professional role was in The Wind in the Willows at the Chichester Festival Theatre, and it was in the festive season. I was nine and I remember the pride with which I tore open my first brown-paper pay packet. I earned £3 a performance which meant that I could finally pay for my own Christmas presents, paltry though they were. Theatre during this time always feels extra-special to me.
As an audience member, there’s nothing quite like shuffling into your seat, amid the “excuse mes” and “I’m so sorrys” in the soon-to-be darkened auditorium abuzz with the chattering of an expectant audience. It is a special kind of enchantment. You’re all there united in your love of theatre, your attention focused on the scene unfolding in front of you.
And let’s not forget the beauty of the theatres themselves. Their ornamental ceilings, roundels, rococo flourishes, elegant arches and pilasters supporting the cantilevered balconies. It’s like being inside a giant wedding cake.
Without patronage these beautiful buildings designed by the likes of CJ Phipps, Frank Matcham and WGR Sprague would fall into ruin. They are sacred spaces which echo with past performances and productions.
If you don’t come and see them, the form will suffer
It is the very ephemeral nature of theatre which makes it so compelling. So, make an effort to see a production this Christmas, because if you don’t come and see them, the form will suffer and we will all be the worse off.
One of my favourite directors, Sean Mathias, summed it up well: “Living at a time when the unknown is the new norm there is no better tonic than living in the moment. So be spontaneous and go see some live theatre this Christmas. Lift the spirits and thrill to the ride because nothing enchants like good theatre at its best!”
As for me, I have just booked tickets to see Sigourney Weaver playing Prospero in The Tempest at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, not least because the play contains one of my favourite lines: “Our revels now are ended… we are such stuff as dreams are made on.”
I shall also be jollying along to the local am-dram production of an Alan Ayckbourn by the Funtington Players starring my GP Uncle Mark, who does it all for free.
It’s all part of the rich and varied shows waiting to be embraced this Christmas… Long live theatre!
Honeysuckle Weeks is an actress
