December night just days before Christmas, and I joined in the fun with this interactive and immersive absurd Xmas experience, billed as ‘The Office meets Lapland’. Commencing in the bar downstairs at The Marlborough, we are intriguingly eased into this show. Two elves are busy chatting together, then become aware that we, the humans, can see them. With trepidation and proclamations of ‘Ho Ho’, they attempt contact. Coerced with gifts of paper party hats, we are invited to become temp workers upstairs in Lapland!
Led upstairs, our coats are taken from us by jolly and nervous elves in a space decorated with paper-chains. We’re divided into groups and posted to work stations, watch a training video, and before we know it we’ve all become part of it! I’m at a workstation where I and the audience member next to me are responsible for deciding, from information on cards that’s been divided into naughty and nice columns, whether each child deserves a present or not. Various elves play with 100% full-throttle characters, speak in a range of ‘Laplandisms’, and ‘elf out’ the space.
After our jobs are done, there’s the office party. Insalubrious elf Meg made me laugh a lot, and there are party games and dancing! This certainly is immersive theatre. I particularly loved the final section where we’re taken into Mrs Claus’ home. All of us in our party hats and full of cheer. Genuine cheer. In the shadow of a seven-foot Christmas tree, we are hugged and greeted by Mrs C. It’s so homely and comforting and a gorgeous moment after the frivolity and all-action fractiousness of the party. I’m seated in a sumptuous chair, given mince pies and mulled wine. A warm and welcoming Mrs C tells us she hasn’t seen Mr Claus for some time. We are made to feel very much at home, and cosy with her presence. The lights go down, Christmas tree twinkling with silvery lights, and I’m offered a pine-cone decoration to make a wish into and to hang onto the tree. We all decorate the tree together. Some sit on the floor, and all in our paper party hats we sing a carol together. It’s a magical atmosphere – just the Christmassy feeling we hope for: warmth and a heartfelt glow. We are each given a small carefully wrapped present. Mrs C falls asleep, and it’s time for us to leave.
Trailblaze wanted to mix all the feelings of Christmas into one pot: each moment of the show represents different elements of Christmas, with the workshop being the mad dash to get everything ready before Christmas, the Christmas party the jovial ‘letting your hair down’ feeling, and then Mrs Claus’ house representing the spirit of Christmas, the relaxing homeliness and getting together with people. With boisterous and exuberant performances teamed with gentle and warm ones, I departed in good festive spirit, completely charmed by this adult yet gentle show.