Clementine, in a 50s style red dress and sparkly red shoes, dreams of the town called Christmas as told to her by her Aunt: where the magic of Christmas is alive in the gingerbread houses, twinkly fairy lights and chocolate coin currency. She explains to us all that now her Aunt is gone and can no longer inspire her with the stories of the town that she is going to seek it out for herself, so off she goes on a magical journey through the Country on a train to find it and live there.
It’s a sweet story not just a nostalgia fest but searching for the magic and positivity of Christmas amid disappointments, and while magic and sugar abound, it is present in the now in that the big feelings of childhood don’t change over generations. The town is not as her Aunt told her but has lost much of its magic, so Clementine, with an irrepressible array of Christmas cracker jokes on hand, aims to rekindle that Christmas spirit in the characters she meets there with an optimism that Polyanna would envy.
This is a lovely show for children and their families, with moveable set, music and singing and plenty of colour and movement. It’s an inspiring tale that disappointment and obstacles don’t have to stop you, that things can move and change, and being inspiring and kind can change and help others. It’s the Christmas spirit that we all would love to believe in: where positivity and kindness can change the world.
As a piece of theatre it is well constructed and the actors are grounded, versatile and believable: always important in children’s shows, as they know instantly. The actors’ voices: Maryam Ali, Charles Doherty and particularly Roo Arwen’s, are gorgeous to hear, with canon and interesting harmonies too. There is some lovely puppetry: just the right balance and not too much. Lines in the show are very current and recognised by the children if not their families, showing a lovely connection with their audience, but they don’t forget the parents either, with the odd line for them; such as one about furloughed robots, which garnered adult laughing.
There is a super moment where a bauble turns into a burst of tiny snowballs in a piece of Christmas theatre magic. Aside from the uncomfortable example of a Brighton resident while Clementine is on her journey through different towns, everything is lovely and charming in this production, including the flurry of snowflakes which the children rush to gather at the end. A sweet children’s show which at 45 minutes will maintain their attention with all the colour, music and movement.
Brighton Dome, 27 December 2025
A Town Called Christmas runs until 31 December 2025
Photos credit: Robling Photography
