Lorna Irvine finds the alternative Christmas production to be 'smarter than your average festive offering'.
This anti-panto, from the Sharpie of Gary McNair (other quality pens are available) is rather akin to finding a severed leg in your stocking--only to then realise your favourite selection box has also fallen out.
Careening wildly between cheeky and scathing, the sketchy tone suits a show with its seams showing, gleefully parodying the slickness of large traditional pantos. Sure, the scenes may not always transition effortlessly, but that's all part of its wilfully anarchic charm.
A frenetic McNair, along with boyish partner in mischief Brian James as, respectively, store elf and Santa, send up: earnest baritone singing in musicals, uber-plum Bono, David Cameron's cronyism and even the Better Together wife from the controversial Saatchi ad campaign. There's even a rap battle, which makes Scottish rapper Loki sound like Vanilla Ice (admittedly, not too difficult, really...).
But it's the grotesque alchy Jesus figure played by McNair, in the segment referencing A Christmas Carol, that not surprisingly satisfies most. He's foul, lecherous and wonderful, kind of like Father Jack without the moral compass.
That's not to say it is all frivolous--there's a raging political undercurrent too- a sense of indignation, at the food banks which fail to plug the rising tide of poverty as the rich get richer.
It is smarter than your average festive offering, with a warm heart, and it all ends in a subversion of a (insert theatre of choice here) sing-a-long to Shakin' Stevens with profanity-laced lyrics which flick the Vs to consumerism.
You don't get that with the Krankies.
Gary McNair: War on Christmas performs at The Arches until December 28.
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