Ever wondered what would have happened at the birth of Christ if there HAD been room at the inn? What it would take to tip Scrooge back over the edge? Or how the Suffragettes might have reached a far wider audience?

If so, then please join the Horribly Inaccurate Histories Society's annual Christmas Extravaganza for some rather dubious theories on these, and many other historical conundrums, for what promises to be a fun-filled evening of entertainment.

Over the course of the evening, twelve short original plays will be performed by a rolling cast, taking you through history, from the Stone Age to the 1950s.

The 12 Plays of Christmas
Written By Hollie & Rob Porter,
Directed by Rob Porter/DTG
Adjudicated by Amanda Powell
9/12/2022

We received a wonderfully warm and informative welcome from the FOH team and felt very well looked after throughout.
The programme was lovely. Very festive whilst still giving a nod to the type of plays you were about to see. I thought having a programme that doubled up as the ticket was a splendid and resourceful idea!
It had plenty of interesting information to peruse, although I’m not quite sure why you needed to give the cast different names, apart from Lady Lavenham, as they were not really referred to during the evening’s entertainment. Also, just a personal preference, but it would have been nice to have had the performers listed next to each skit, to know who was performing in each one.

The stage was gloriously festive, and I felt like I had walked into a warm and inviting living room. The tree was beautiful (I want to purchase those gorgeous floating candles!) and really got me into the festive mood. Great wall colour choice as it helped keep the space light, allowing the accessories to create a warm and cosy atmosphere. It was nice to see so many entrances/exits, not always easy in a smaller space, and the addition of the stable door and window/hatch was effective.

The lighting required for this show was basic/standard but very well-lit, I am not a fan of having to squint to see a performer, so I was delighted to find there were no dark patches during the show. Well timed lights and music kept this production flowing well.

Very good choices of music in between skits/plays that really helped with the humour and captured the right tone.

Rob Porter/DTG took on the task of directing these humorous set of plays/skits with aplomb.
Both writing and directing is no easy task, so well done for tackling this so well. In addition to this Rob had to overcome a cast change at the eleventh hour, which, I have to say, did not notice at all!
Having an informal living room set with the idea of entertainment at a gathering, allowed Rob to manoeuvre the cast and set easily for each skit, and choosing to have the cast change it as part of the 'Horribly Inaccurate Histories Society' gathering was a clever and effective way of changing a scene.
The quick changes from one character into another for skits/short plays can be tricky for an actor, so I was pleased to see that the direction given to them gave the actors every opportunity to get into character quickly and efficiently.
Your choice of furniture placement was good throughout and enabled your blocking to be open with good sightlines, which was why it seemed disappointing that the chimney sweep in 'A Christmas Caricature' was mostly profile/back acting for the first half of the skit. By moving her further stage left and keeping her body diagonal and only glancing in the general direction of Scrooge rather than looking directly at him, would have opened the line of her body, meaning the audience sightline would have improved. Overall, the blocking and direction was pleasing to the eye and gave the actors every opportunity to perform well.

Great costume choices throughout. They were all very suited to the characters in each skit and all the humorous additions (bowl of water, wigs, frogs, swords, railings, chains etc.) all added to the fun.

Rob and Hollie are obviously huge comedy fans, especially of Monty Python and Blackadder (me too) and this is made very apparent in their writing.
I enjoyed the nod to different comedies in each skit, although I would take a care not to get too close to the original writing at points.
I found the skits to be generally clear, precise, and well set up for the punchlines. I was glad to see that most didn't take too long to get to the point of the joke.
I have to say that the 'Toni & Guy' skit was my favourite! It was so well written, and I was so busy enjoying the excellent acting in this skit that I didn’t see the obvious punchline coming! Excellent bit of writing, it made me laugh out loud!
I also loved the writing and feel of 'La Femme Noir' which still made me laugh even though I saw the punchline coming!
I did, however find my attention span beginning to wander during 'Talking Heads', 'You Don’t Know Jack' and 'Yoohoo, Mrs Pankhurst' and wonder if a little bit of refinement in these would help with the pacing and delivery.
Overall, I was very impressed with this new writing and was so glad to have been able to see and enjoy it. Well done to you both.

I felt Jordan defined all his characters well in each skit. Jackson was a nice character to watch, and the line delivery was very confident. Jordan came into his own in 'In Jest', he did seem to enjoy being the bad guy! I enjoyed all the different characters Liz gave us and was especially impressed with your portrayal of Mrs Pankhurst's daughter, who was very reminiscent of the way teenage girls talk to their mothers! Just be aware of your small habit of giving a little laugh after each line you deliver, it’s a common nervous habit in performing (mine is constantly clasping my hands together on stage). A strong and confident performer. Well! I think it's safe to say that Chrissie makes a fabulous Angel Gabriel! This is a lady with very good comedy instincts and timing, which really helped with the delivery of many of these skits. I especially loved her delivery in 'Toni & Guy', excellent fork throwing! lol A lovely performance from Sara, who's subtle comic timing really helped portray these humorous characters throughout, especially in 'La Femme Noir'. Well done! Firstly, let me congratulate you for doing a sterling job at the eleventh hour, and secondly for having the best character name! Richard came across as a very strong, confident performer with obvious prior experience. His delivery of every character was funny and bold with excellent comic timing. His delivery of Guy Fawkes was exceptional and laugh out loud funny! It was a pleasure to watch all his character portrayals. A nice welcoming character, who you warmed to immediately. As she was playing both the Narrator and Lady Lavenham I did feel that she may have established a clearer definition of the two parts if she had looked up from the script when delivering the Lady Lavenham lines. A nice actor to watch. Lovely facial expressions throughout. I especially loved her portrayal of Katherine Howard; it reminded me a little of Queenie in Blackadder. She could have been a little more confident on her lines, a good tip is to slow down your delivery as it gives you longer to think of the next line. A strong and clear performer, who I thought captured all her characters well. I liked the way she commentated the royal wedding in 'Taking Heads' I also felt she was a very understanding Mrs Pankhurst! A lovely actress to watch, I would have liked to have seen her do more. She kept me glued to her trials and tribulations in 'The Notivity' and helped keep it all together in 'A Mad Lib Nativity'. Steve made a good 'baddy turned good' in 'A Christmas Caricature' and a very funny king in 'In Jest'. A nice well-rounded performer. Rob made an excellent knight in 'The Sword in Staines', with his trusty (if rather transparent) steed Concord by his side, as well as portraying many funny characters throughout this show. An actor with good comic timing, who knows how to read audience reactions to his benefit.

This production was very entertaining. The teamwork amongst the cast and crew gave many high points, and everyone portrayed their characters well. The staging was wonderfully Christmassy and effective, the writing was mostly engaging and humorous, the music was on point, sound levels were just right & the lighting was good. There were just a few moments in the show that I felt could have done with a little refining, but overall, I found the production to be full of fun with lots of good performances. It was a pleasure to watch and looked like a good time was had by all cast and crew.

Best wishes
Amanda Powell (Adjudicator)