NEW Old Friends, a theatre company based in Frome, is presenting Crimes Against Christmas, a live fireside radio place outdoors at the Merlin on 10th and 11th December.
The play, which is part of the Signal Fires Festival, is a hilarious adaptation of the company’s smash-hit comedy, and will be presented in Frome in a Covid-secure, socially distanced way at the Merlin’s outdoor amphitheatre.
The UK’s leading touring theatre companies are uniting this autumn to present Signal Fires, a nationwide project inspired by one of the original forms of theatre – storytelling around a fire. In light of the current crisis, the signal fires will create beacons across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland warning of the threat the industry continues to face while celebrating the extraordinary vibrancy of touring theatre and the freelancers they engage.
Frome-based New Old Friends are nationally renowned for their inventive comedy shows and were thrilled to be invited to take participate in the festival. Stretching across four nations, this festival of fires will connect audiences, freelance artists and touring companies together in a communal, national act of storytelling and serves as a statement of hope and intent; touring theatre will return.
The show itself is a radio-play style retelling of the company’s 2016 smash-hit comedy; Crimes Against Christmas. The plot is loosely based around Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None with an apparently random group of people mysteriously invited to a Christmas party on a remote island. Once on the island, the guests start to die in suspiciously Christmassy ways!
The venue, which hosted some work over the summer, will be fully Covid-secure in line with the latest guidelines. Audience members will be asked to wear masks if able and will be seated in a way compliant with the prevailing restrictions. The Merlin will be selling mulled wine and hot soup to warm your insides, but wrapping up warm, bringing cushions and blankets is strongly recommended.
Tickets are £5.50 exclusively from www.merlintheatre.co.uk. Arrive 6pm for 6.30pm show. Suitable for ages 12+
