this point THEATRE hese online shows, at least, are a

‘TIS THE SEASON

It’s mid-December – normally the time when Christmas shows are in full swing. Hurrah! Except that it’s not a normal year, and the theatres are mostly closed. Boo! But hang on just a minute; what’s this? Bristol Old Vic are showing some of their best-ever Christmas shows digitally, for us to watch at home? Thrice hurrah! Three cheers for Mr Scrooge, and God bless us, every one!

As we’ve learned from countless MGM summer-stock musicals, theatre-makers are a resilient bunch. Faced with the kind of obstacles that would floor less imaginative folk, they think outside the box. No ready-made stage available? Hey! My uncle has a barn! Let’s put the show on right there!

However, lockdown presented a problem that no-one – no, not even a terminally plucky Mickey Rooney – had faced before. Lacking a physical theatre is one thing – you can, indeed put a play on in a barn, or a church hall, or a tent – but showbiz just ain’t showbiz without an audience.

Clearly, a vertigo-inducing amount of pivoting was called for.

“Theatres all over the country responded to the devastation of lockdown with wild invention,” says Tom Morris, artistic director of Bristol Old Vic. “From the Minack in Cornwall to Slung Low in Leeds, the rules of theatre have been rewritten on an hourly basis. Inspired by colleagues across the country, we were determined to do whatever was necessary to continue offering live, inspiring entertainment to Bristol. In the chaos of lockdown, we are pursuing experiments which will bring laughter, entertainment, music and poeticism to you at home, as well as in the theatre.”

In other words: hey kids, let’s take the shows online! While the Bristol Old Vic winter season has optimistically scheduled a smattering of live shows, the programme mostly comes down to this: filmed versions of some of their greatest hits, screened in a digital form so that people can watch them at home.

Here’s how it works. Between now and the end of February, five much-loved productions from Bristol Old Vic’s back catalogue will be available on demand. All five productions can be accessed with a season pass costing just £12.99 – that’s cheaper than a bumper tin of Quality Street! – which gives unlimited access to the full season until 28 February 2021. Individual shows can also be viewed separately for £4.50.

Running alongside the digital shows are a few live-streamed plays, shown in a socially-distanced theatre to the few and screened to the masses; we’ll get to those in a bit. First of all, let’s breakdown those five online shows, which are all available to watch right now.

Grab your box of locally-made artisan popcorn and settle down after dinner with A Christmas Carol A CHRISTMAS CAROL What? Simply one of our two most-favourite-ever Bristol Old Vic Christmas shows. The other one was Peter Pan, if anyone cares. Who’s it for? Kids aged 7+ and their lucky, lucky families. What’s the story? You seriously need to ask? OK. It’s Christmas Eve, and a bleak night awaits miserly money-lender Ebenezer Scrooge. Before dawn breaks he’ll be visited by a series of ghosts, who show him chilling portraits of his past, present and future. Will he come to see the bitter truth of his selfish life and the true meaning of Christmas by morning? It’s just a hunch, but we reckon he might . . . Why should we watch? It’s a Christmas feast of a show, with a charismatic John Hopkins as Scrooge, a witty script by Tom Morris and ebullient performances all round. Yeah, well, you know, that’s just, like, your opinion, man. What did the critics say? “A witty captivatingly fresh look at Dickens” – The Stage Told you it was funny. Anything else? It’s Bristol Old Vic’s best-selling Christmas show of all time.

THE GRINNING MAN What? Cult musical created by Tom Morris and Carl Grose. Just like Les Misérables, it was adapted from a story by Victor Hugo, but instead of ‘French revolution’ think ‘dark fairy tale set in a vaguely mediaeval kingdom peppered with fairground freaks, lascivious royals and friendly wolves’. Who’s it for? 12+ What’s the story? A bizarre new act has arrived at Stokes Croft fairground. Who is Grinpayne, and how did he get his hideous smile? An epic tale of an abandoned, disfigured child, the sightless girl who loves him, and a father figure with a secret. Why should we watch? Because it’s a modern masterpiece, with buckets of brio and endless amounts of wit, originality and invention. It has the best score we’ve heard in a musical for decades; you’ll want to buy the record. The puppetry by Gyre & Gimble is astonishing, and the vocals are spinetingling; just wait until you hear Sean Kingsley, who sounds exactly like Tom Waits.

BEN ROBINS PHOTOGRAPHY ©

What did the critics reckon? “Blackly comic brilliance” – The Telegraph Anything else? We’ve always thought it was the theatre’s best-ever Christmas show that was never actually a Christmas show.

THE NIGHT THAT AUTUMN TURNED TO WINTER What? Little Bulb Theatre’s tale of woodland critters in a wintry wonderland. Who’s it for? 2-6 year-olds What’s the story? Winter is on its way, and in the wild wood animals of all shapes and sizes are busy getting ready for the cold season ahead. Why should we watch? What else are you going to do, stick Frozen on for the millionth time? What did the critics reckon? “Silliness and wonder… in bumper Christmassize portions” - The Guardian Anything else? As anyone who knows anything about theatre will tell you, shows devised for tots can be among the most magical and inventive of all.

“Ebenezer took a dim view of the social distance flaunting on Christmas Steps“

MESSIAH What?A powerful dramatisation of Handel’s masterpiece, and a chance to see and hear the piece as the composer controversially intended: performed to audiences in a theatre, rather than in a sacred space. Who’s it for? 11+ What’s the story? The death of a messianic leader has left his bereaved community of followers struggling with conflict, doubt and the shaking of faith that this has awoken. Why should we watch? It features internationally renowned soloists Catherine Wyn Rogers and Julia Doyle, The Erebus Ensemble and Europe’s most celebrated Baroque orchestra, The English Concert, under the baton of Harry Bicket. What did the critics reckon? “Direct and impactful” – The Times Anything else? Recorded in 2017, this acclaimed interpretation had 28,000 views when it launched the theatre’s first online season in May.

SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS What? Based on the classic story by Arthur Ransome, the show was originally staged in 2010 as a new musical. It was recorded at Bristol Old Vic in 2014, following a West End run and UK tour. Who’s it for? 7+ kids, and adults with a taste for nostalgia. What’s the story? A tale of endless summer evenings and the beauty of youthful imagination, as four children sail off on an exotic adventure, encountering barbarians, pirates and other mortal enemies. Why should we watch? It’s the show Bristol Old Vic audiences have most requested to be revived in the last decade. What did the critics reckon? “Warm-hearted, aff ectionate and fun.. a breezy, ship-shape and Bristol-fashion delight” – The Telegraph Anything else? Songs are by Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy.

THE LIVE-STREAMED SHOWS Here’s where it gets a bit complicated. While all the shows in the At Home season were already in the can, since September Bristol Old Vic has also been experimenting with live streams from productions restaged, or staged for the fi rst time, in the actual theatre. Some had live audiences, such as Wise Children’s Romantics Anonymous. Others took place during lockdown – Hedda by Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, for example – and so these went directly to digital.

At time of going to press, The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk had fi nished its livestreamed run, but is available on-demand at home between 11-18 December.

Finally, for a strictly adult off ering, Sharp Teeth’s next adventure will be Streaming Beauty (9-19 December) in collaboration with Tom Marshman; a uniquely fi lthy and interactive Christmas show, brought to you through the Christmas miracle of Zoom.

LIVE SHOWS FOR ACTUAL AUDIENCES In a statement of shameless optimism and cheer for December, Bristol Old Vic has also announced the fi rst of its live Christmas off erings: a ‘chaotic new comedy for older children and adults’, in the form of Beauty and the Beast (18 December – 9 January). The tale as old as time is brought to you by Living (18 December – 9 January). The tale as old as time is brought to you by Living Spit’s Howard and Stu, who have never let the fact that they’re a two-man troupe stop them from taking on an epic. Expect a Disney-defying musical version of the story about beauty and true lurvve.

STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX... Stop press... Lastly, but defi nitely not leastly, we have Angels in Bristol: The Story of Christmas in Nine Miracles. The stories, which will be delivered one-a-day between 20- 28 December, have been created from new poems by Vanessa Kisuule, with music from Dan Jones and Guy Hughes and imagery by Limbic Cinema.

Angels will be fi lmed in many Bristol locations, from St Paul’s Adventure Playground to The Black Swan in Easton to Underfall Yard, from Bristol primary schools to people’s doorsteps, to showcase the way an entire community can come together to tell stories of comfort and joy. Register for free. (No mention of the tenth miracle, which will be these listings still being up-todate when this magazine comes out...)

All of which goes to show, to paraphrase Dickens, that Tom Morris knows how to All of which goes to show, to paraphrase Dickens, that Tom Morris knows how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possesses the knowledge. ■ All tickets and more info at bristololdvic.org.uk

“We’ve always thought that The Grinning Man was the theatre’s best-ever Christmas show that was never actually a Christmas show”

FROM TOP: the eclectic At Home programme includes The Night that Autumn Turned to Winter; Messiah; Swallows and Amazons, and The Grinning Man