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★★★★
Christmas and Ireland is the theme of Prestige Productions’ uplifting festive show ‘A Fairytale for Christmas’, which is currently touring the UK. Earlier this week I had the opportunity to visit the Churchill Theatre in Bromley for the first time and review the show on its opening night at the venue. Combining Christmas classics, festive storytelling, folk music and various styles of dancing including Irish, this concert show is exactly what audiences need to get into the festive spirit. It might only be November, but I left the venue thinking that I needed to book a Christmas trip to Dublin soon, and learn more about some of these wonderful traditions!
About the show
One thing that always amazes me about Ireland is its incredible music and pub culture, which is the beating heart of this concert-style show. The audience is invited to McGrath’s Bar for a festive celebration, featuring live music, dance and some light-hearted comedy. Narrator Shane Morgan also takes audiences through local traditions such as St. Stephen’s Day: Ireland’s equivalent to Boxing Day. The show is 2 hours 10 minutes of festive fun, that will leave you grinning from ear to ear.
Christmas music with an Irish twist
The music is an absolute highlight, with beloved festive tunes presented with a folk twist. I loved the stylistic changes to ‘Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town’ and ‘I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday’ to name a couple of numbers. You could really appreciate how the creative team has infused Irish rhythms and sounds into the material, and Oliver Cave (guitar), Caitlin Forbes (fiddle) and Peet Jackson (banjo) bring so much energy to every song.
However, the setlist is not limited to Christmas tracks, with the company performing folk favourites such as ‘I’ll Tell Me Ma’, ‘The Irish Rover’ and ‘The Galway Girl’. After watching Prestige Productions’ other show ‘Seven Drunken Nights: The Story of The Dubliners’ earlier this year, this was a welcome surprise! The audience even gets to sing along with the group, which was such a delight.
Overall experience
I have to acknowledge the commitment of the company, as being part of a Christmas show before the start of December is no easy task. In the comedy sketches and audience interaction elements they really played to this, lightly encouraging festive behaviour throughout. The humour is a bit cheesy in places and sometimes I would have preferred for the dancing to be isolated to the bigger group numbers, but overall this is a highly enjoyable night out at the theatre.
A joyful evening of festive entertainment
If you’ve ever been inspired by Irish folk music and also love all things Christmas, this is definitely for you. It is guaranteed to get audiences in the festive mood! You can catch the show on tour until 22nd December, with further performances at Orchard West, Dartford from 26th – 27th November and the Granville Theatre in Ramsgate from 2nd – 3rd December.
* My ticket for ‘A Fairytale for Christmas’ was gifted in exchange for an unbiased review.
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