Anthony Neilson’s one-act comedy, which lasts just over an hour, is an antidote to the family-friendly perkiness of so many seasonal shows. It’s set in a world of petty criminals, where every child’s present has apparently fallen off the back of a lorry and Christmas spirit takes the form of a suspicious-looking white powder.
Amiable buffoon Gary, played with warmth by Douggie McMeekin, apprehends an elf breaking into the warehouse where he works. He debates with pal Simon whether to set the police on their captive — who protests that he’s not a thief but represents an ‘international gift distribution agency’ and has merely slipped off his sleigh.
Gary buys the elf’s story, but Michael Salami’s sparky Simon remains unconvinced. The discussion heats up with the arrival of Cherry (Unique Spencer), a straight-talking sex worker whose son is due a set of Power Rangers as payment for services she’s performed for Gary. Then, as Dan Starkey’s elf grants each of them a wish and they ponder the true meaning of Christmas, there’s an injection of moralising sentimentality.
Although the play milks some of its weaker jokes for too long, it has a welcome sense of the absurd, and Alex Sutton’s vigorous revival is sprinkled with topical references. Yet while there’s plenty of twisted humour, it feels like a cheeky sketch that’s been extended beyond its ideal length.
Until Dec 29 (020 7407 0234, southwarkplayhouse.co.uk)
December's best theatre shows - in pictures
