The Great Big B24/7 2018 Christmas theatre roundup

From Dickensian antics on board ship to regal felines fighting their heaven-ordained destinies, via the more expected Scrooges and Cinderellas, this year’s bill of festival theatrical fare is perhaps more joyously eclectic than ever before. Strap in, then, as we give you our whistle-stop tour of Christmas 2018 theatre in Bristol.

Chloe and the Colour Catcher
Bristol Old Vic, Nov 30-Jan 6
Chloe lives in a world with only one colour. But at night, when she’s wrapped up tight, her dreams are colourful and bright. Chloe tells of the vast blue seas, lush green jungly-trees and golden yellow sands she’s seen. But, hushed at once by her old Grandma Magenta, Chloe is warned to keep such thoughts at bay – for the Grey Queen is out to wash all trace of colour away.
Join Chloe on her journey to unleash all seven shades of the rainbow in this tale of bravery, self-expression and fighting for what your heart knows to be true.
Bristol Old Vic and Theatre Ad Infinitum co-pro. Ages 4–7.
www.bristololdvic.org.uk/whats-on/chloe-and-the-colour-catcher

The Borrowers
Tobacco Factory Theatres, Nov 29-Jan 20
Tobacco Factory Theatres turns its Factory Theatre into a giant adventure playground as, below the floorboards of a large house in Bristol, we are plunged into the quirky, wonky, miniature world of young Arrietty and her family of Borrowers.
Making use of anything and everything they find ‘upstairs’, from cotton buds to crisp packets, string to Subutteo players, the Borrowers are the original up-cyclers.
However, their quiet existence is torn apart by the arrival of a family of Human Beans and soon the quiet ticking of the grandfather clock is replaced by Hoovers, TVs and the sound of Tom Jones on the radio. Ages 6+.
www.tobaccofactorytheatres.com/shows/the-borrowers/

A Christmas Carol
Bristol Old Vic, Nov 29-Jan 13
Tom Morris (The Grinning Man, Swallows & Amazons) joins forces with Lee Lyford and Gwyneth Herbert (The Snow Queen) to adapt Dickens’ timeless tale.
The turkeys are hanging in St Nick’s butcher’s shop, the Christmas Steps are decked with holly, but Christmas Eve is a bleak night for miserly money-lender Ebenezer Scrooge.

Bristol Old Vic’s ‘A Christmas Carol’

Before the night is through, he is visited by four ghosts who show him chilling portraits of his past, present and future. As the sun rises, he comes to see the bitter truth of his selfish life; learning kindness, compassion and, ultimately, the true meaning of Christmas.
www.bristololdvic.org.uk/whats-on/a-christmas-carol

Oedipuss in Boots
Wardrobe Theatre, Nov 22-Jan 20
A devilishly funny anti-Christmas comedy from the company behind Rocky Shock Horror, Muppits Die Hard, Goldilock, Stock & Three Smoking Bears and other classic-mashing comedies.
As lightning cracks at the summit of Mount Olympus, the royal kitten Oedipuss is cursed with the prophecy of killing his father and marrying his mother. Outcast, this brave puss must go on an incredible adventure of self-discovery, encountering crooks and charlatans, terrifying monsters and outrageous villains as he tries to unlock the complex question of his destiny.
www.thewardrobetheatre.com/livetheatre/oedipuss-in-boots

Living Spit’s Nativity
Bristol Old Vic, Dec 14-22
Festive fun from the brilliant local comedy-theatre duo Living Spit. With the usual mix of silly songs, pitiful puppetry and more Biblical befuddlement than you can shake a figgy pudding at, Living Spit’s Nativity promises to be a cornucopia of comic Christmassy crudeness.
www.bristololdvic.org.uk/whats-on/living-spits-nativity

Steamed: A Dickensian Improvised Christmas Tale
Brunel’s ss Great Britain, Dec 9-11 & 21-22
Closer Each Day Company, creators of Bristol’s cult comedy, Closer Each Day: The Improvised Soap Opera (the world’s longest improvised narrative, performed at The Wardrobe Theatre every fortnight), bring their dynamic and addictive brand of theatre to this new Christmas show. Come along for a right old knees-up and enjoy improv in the time of cholera!
www.ssgreatbritain.org/whats-on/steamed-dickensian-improvised-christmas-tale

Dickensian frolics aboard the ss Great Britain with Closer Each Day’s ‘Steamed’

Cinderella
Hippodrome, Dec 8-Jan 6
Strictly sensation, comedian and musical theatre star Brian Conley joins fashion guru Gok Wan for the Hippodrome panto, another family-friendly show packed with spectacular special effects and laugh-out-loud comedy.
www.atgtickets.com/shows/cinderella/bristol-hippodrome

The Railway Children
Redgrave Theatre, Nov 29-Dec 13
When Bobbie, Peter and Phyllis move to rural Yorkshire with their mother, following the imprisonment of their father, they leave their comfortable, safe existence to discover a world that is insecure and hard, but one that is filled with love, resilience and humanity. And always running through that world is the railway, in particular the 9.15 to London…
Bristol Old Vic Theatre School present E. Nesbit’s much-loved 1906 family classic: a story of three children learning what really matters, and of Edwardian England on the brink of change.
www.oldvic.ac.uk/events-shows/the-railway-children

Beasty Baby
Tobacco Factory Theatres, Dec 6-Jan 6
Deep in the forest, in a wintry land, lives a gorgeously grizzly Beasty Baby. Mayhem and laughter wait around every corner as three people embark on a wild adventure to bring up this mischievous and totally loveable child.

Theatre-Rites bring their ‘Beasty Baby’ to Tobacco Factory Theatres

Using an inspired mix of puppetry and live music, Theatre-Rites creates a funny and magical shared experience for the whole family, to warm up those cold winter days. Ages 3+.
www.tobaccofactorytheatres.com/shows/beasty-baby

The Gift of Presents (pictured top)
Tobacco Factory Theatres, Dec 7-30
Dust off your baubles, prepare your nuts to be cracked and let your christingle be tingled: welcome to The Gift of Presents – a tale of giving and receiving with your drag-king Lordess and Sistas most(ly) Divine.
Shesus and the Sistas make their Bristol debut. Witness the festive period through the eyes of this trio of fools and expect something between cabaret, comedy, a carol concert and therapy.
www.tobaccofactorytheatres.com/shows/the-gift-of-presents

Igloo
Bristol Old Vic, Dec 8-Jan 6
Following the sell-out success of last year’s Ice Ice Baby, Travelling Light (Boing!) and Bristol Old Vic present this sensory experience filled with sights, sounds and texturised play, suitable for ages 0-3.
www.bristololdvic.org.uk/whats-on/igloo

Pick Your Own Panto
Bristol Improv Theatre, Dec 21-22 & Dec 28-29
So, here’s something a little different: the Improv Theatre team present this adult-only improvised pantomime that gets the whole audience involved. (Or, if you’re looking for a proper family panto, you can book tickets to the family version of the show at 2pm).
improvtheatre.co.uk

Stars of Magic 2018
Dec 27-30, Redgrave Theatre
Return of this family-friendly show, a mixed bill of circuit magicians. Seven spellbinding illusionists arrive from around  the world to delight and astonish with a range of trickery, from . From spectacular Las Vegas-style illusions to world-class sleight of hand.
Magicians performing are Matthew McGurk & Katia, Matthew Dowden, Horret Wu (FISM World Champion of Card Magic 2015), Bruce Airhead (“Unique and totally bonkers. The metamorphosis of a man and a six foot balloon”), Huang Zheng and Neal Austin. Ages 5+.
redgravetheatre.com/event/2018/12/stars-of-magic/408 and www.facebook.com/thestarsofmagic

Read more: Bristol’s Ultimate Christmas Film Guide 2018