The Siege of Christmas at the Contact Theatre Manchester Review

Reviewed by Rebecca Banasko

I went the Contact Theatre just off Oxford Road in Manchester to see The Siege of Christmas with a friend and two 5-year olds. The theatre had a lovely relaxed atmosphere and the staff were incredibly welcoming and friendly.

Before the show started we were all given our own headphones to wear. This was incredibly exciting for the children and adults alike. The show had been described beforehand as a theatrical adventure, so I really wasn’t sure what to expect but it was clear that we would be going on some sort of journey.

We were soon greeted through our headphones by the voice of the ‘theatre manager’ who ushered us outside whereupon we found it was ‘snowing’. The kids absolutely loved this and being an evening show, this also added to the magic! However, in the meantime we found that we had been locked out and were at the mercy of some very unhappy mince pies who were part of a plot to steal the Christmas spirit, much to the distress of the manager.

Thankfully, the very diligent Nutcracker soldier came to our rescue and recruited us on her mission to find the Christmas spirit and save Christmas. Here our adventure started as we joined her on a journey around and through the theatre both upstairs and downstairs. Along the way we met various characters who had joined the siege. It was our job to help them be part of the Christmas spirit again and collect clues to find it.

The kids loved the interactivity; the snow, the crackers, the dancing and the soldier moves. Although it did take them a while to get used to it. The story was a lovely festive one and left us all energised afterwards. I really did enjoy it and the kids loved the novelty of being able to walk through the theatre and interact with the performers. It was a unique approach to a production and certainly one that I’d love to see again.

The show is advised for over 5’s. I completely agree that anyone younger would find this hard to follow and possibly not be able to wear the headphones for a long time. The tickets are priced at £13 for over 10’s and £5 for under 10’s which I think is really reasonable at this time of year and for an hour’s adventure.

The characters were memorable and adapted to the audience, interacting with the children and ensuring they had their role in the story as well. Thank you to Contact and Slung Low for a magical and fun adventure.

Rating: 4/5

Tickets cost from £5 to £13.

The Siege of Christmas is at the Contact Theatre in Manchester from 13-20 December 2017, for more information or to book tickets visit contactmcr.com or call the box office on 0161 274 0600.

Contact Theatre, Oxford Road, Manchester, M15 6JA | 0161 274 0600