A comedy thriller named one of the Telegraph’s Top 50 Christmas shows is coming to the Merlin Theatre this Christmas.
Crimes Against Christmas is loosely inspired by Agatha Christie’s Then There Were None, and follows a group of strangers summoned to a remote island only to start dying in mysteriously Christmassy ways.
Organisers say, “The show is performed with just four actors: New Old Friends stalwart Kirsty Cox, two new brilliant, local performers Dan Gaisford and Andrew McGilla and the long-awaited return of company founder Heather Westwell. They bring to life over a dozen eccentric characters in this laugh-a-minute pastiche of a classic murder mystery. Expect lightning-fast costume changes, sharp wit, inventive staging, and more jokes than you can shake a candy cane at.
“Crimes Against Christmas is the perfect antidote to the sweetness of the season. Advance booking is highly recommended.”
The comedy is being brought to the Merlin Theatre by Frome’s multi-award-winning comedy company New Old Friends.
Feargus Woods Dunlop of New Old Friends said, “Crimes Against Christmas is a show that is very dear to our heart. It was the first of the ‘Crimes…’ series of comedy murder mysteries and thus the springboard to establishing our little company nationally.
“We have returned to it a few times, most notably during the pandemic when we adapted it into a daily audio advent calendar, which became a runaway success beyond our wildest imaginings. But possibly more beloved was the Covid-era socially distanced version we staged outside the Merlin around a campfire, in the rain, as part of the Signal Fires ‘tour that couldn’t tour’.
“There was something so magical and defiant about those evenings when we really didn’t know if theatre was coming back. Now we are finally returning all the way back to its roots with a fully-fledged theatrical version once more and, just when we couldn’t be more excited, Heather is making her return to the stage for the first time in over four years.”
The show will run from Wednesday 17th to Sunday 28th December. Tickets can be purchased on the Merlin Theatre’s website https://merlintheatre.co.uk/class/crimes-against-christmas/ or box office 01373 465949.
