Santa’s Wish- A Wonderful Adventure for the Family
When I see a show, I always try to pick my favourite audience member. Someone who is completely engaged with the show, believes everything they are seeing and having the best time. At Santa’s Wish at the Spigeltent there were a lot of audience members to choose from who fit this bill! My winner was a tutu wearing, headbanging small folk who got a high five from Santa- I can only imagine the challenge her parents had of taking her out of the wonderful venue!
Indeed, the reactions from the audience were a beautiful example of what happens when an engaging, entertaining and festive show ticks the right boxes. The beautiful setting allowed a lovely intimacy between actors and audience, something often impossible in Cardiff’s much bigger venues.
The impressive ensemble show saw 5 talented performers getting to show off their skills and clearly have fun on stage. Alex Roberts’ cheeky humour and ability to draw the audience in grabbed everyone’s attention right from the start. Briana Paine’s impressive vocals carried the story of being kind to each other- along with some impressive moves. Often when an acrobat is part of a play they can seem tacked on or a one trick pony, but this was not the case with Briana Paine– instead they were an integral part of every scene, with some extra aerial magic sprinkle through. Dyfrig Morris’ dulcet tones and gravitas created a very believable Santa, and Millie Davies shone as Snowflake the Elf- in an outfit I was definitely jealous of.
The whole production was a highly polished affair, tricky in an unusual space and with the amount of props needed coming from different directions- despite a slight malfunction with the magical jam jar, but this was smoothly recovered by the cast. You don’t go to family shows for the plot, and this was the show’s weaker area, but there were plenty of messages to take away to consider for the meaning of Christmas.
Santa’s Wish is on until December 24th and is a treat for all ages. Tickets range from £15-£29.50 which is quite an investment for a family, but sadly this is in line with most prices across the city for a festive treat. Go along to enjoy some original music, impressive acrobatics and the chance to receive a high five from Santa!