I’ll confess to not feeling as jolly and festive as I might have been the night I turned up at Pegasus for Alice & Bob’s Whopping Christmas Cracker Show/Party – it was cold, traffic had been bad, and I’m spoilt.
But this short, funny and unapologetically ridiculous show was enough to elevate my mood. Alice and Bob energetically appear in Pegasus’ café prior to the audience taking their seats, to collect the hopes of spectators on handheld blackboards in order to inform the show’s opening musical number – a reworking of 12 Days of Christmas. On this occasion said song included wishes for no Brexit and two weeks of skiing.
Sitting in its own unique space somewhere in between a pantomime, a sketch show and a party, Alice and Bob’s offering keeps a small but enthused crowd laughing, treating us to pigeon costumes, carols and a full-scale wrapping paper war.
With Alice providing semi grownup ad libs at various points (as well as a rather poignant vocal and ukulele performance) and Bob’s ability to project to the whole room at the same time as maintaining a calming and soft tone, the Whopping Christmas Cracker Show/Party is a sweet stint of silliness, concluding in a reminder of the value of kindness – something suitable for all ages.
Warming, diverse and moving – it’s worth braving the traffic for.
Alice & Bob’s Whopping Christmas Cracker Show/Party plays Pegasus until 27 December.