Lorna Irvine reviews 'a warm, witty mediation on the true message of Christmas'.
Writer Oliver Emanuel has been known to make grown men weep through the power of his writing as evinced by recent hit, the award-winning Dragon, a powerful evocation of loss and love using dragons as a metaphor for the grieving and healing process.
This time around though, he has created, along with director Gareth Nicholls, something utterly charming--for children of all ages.
Mr McGregor is a jolly, slightly manic sort of fellow. He lives in a modest house but is a little odd. Things like Brussels sprouts have a habit of popping out of his living room drawers. Happily, he loves to eat them--even if they make him flatulent.
However, something is diluting his Festive cheer. His friend Johnny the paperboy is miserable...Santa keeps forgetting him at Christmas time. So they must join forces, aided by Belinda, McGregor's pet Turkey. But wait...Johnny has discovered that Mr McGregor has a present list, and a secret stash of white beards. Is he...could he really be...?
David Ireland and Alasdair Hankinson both excel as McGregor and Johnny in performances which swing from happiness to grumpiness to sorrow to euphoria, and Claire Halleran's magical set provides plenty of surprises to delight the kids.
A warm, witty meditation on the true message of Christmas--and a neat antidote to consumerism.
The Little Boy that Santa Claus Forgot is a co-production with The Arches (where it performs until January 4, 2015) and macrobert.
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