Who is Santa Claus?

Where does he come from?

And why on earth does he climb down the chimney?

Our new production of The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, based on the book by L Frank Baum, was a huge success. The show was resident at the Artsdepot, London over Christmas 2009. See below for reviews and images from the show.

2010 UK TOUR DATES

20 Nov, Compass Theatre, Ickenham
22-24 Nov, Queens Hall, Hexham
25-27 Nov, Waterside Arts Centre. Sale
28-29 Nov, The Arc, Trowbridge
2-4 Dec, Swindon Arts Centre
7-24 Dec, The Courtyard, Hereford
27 Dec - 3 Jan, The Lowry, Salford Quays

SEE BELOW FOR REVIEWS AND IMAGES

VENUE PROGRAMMERS CLICK HERE FOR BOOKING DETAILS

THE STAGE  14 December 2009 by Jonathan Lovett

A lot with a little could be the motto of Big Wooden Horse and artsdepot proving, once again, that size doesn’t matter in their charming Christmas show.

Since it made the canny decision to move its festive fare from the large auditorium into the more intimate studio space, artsdepot has struck gold with its choice of partner which, for the second year running, has used just three actors and little special effects to cast its spell over the young.

Writer and director Adam Bampton-Smith seems to enjoy an innate understanding of the workings of a child’s mind and has successfully transferred this talent to Ed Burnside, Holly Beth Morgan and Andrew Pugsley who instantly engage with us before the show proper starts and teach us how to growl!

So begins a joyful adaptation of a less expected L Frank Baum story - The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is more likely to be performed at this time of year - in which we learn the origins of Santa Claus raised amongst fairytale forest folk.

With a deft lightness of touch we’re transported from the truculent hoodie wearing teen’s formative years to the white bearded ancient of legend (Pugsley is suitably rotund and jolly), while the other two gleefully play the rest of the characters including Morgan as a chilled geezer Jack Frost and Burnside as a very funny rich lady’s daughter who just can’t understand why toys should only be given to poor kids.

WATFORD OBSERVER  23 December 2009 by Melanie Dakin

Big Wooden Horse sparkles at artsdepot

Amid the ‘it’s behind yous’ and flamboyant pantomime costumes, it’s gratifying to see a show that relies purely on the magic of imagination and The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, based on the book by L Frank Baum, author of The Wizard of Oz, has all the wonder of Christmas wrapped up in one bright, shiny package.

Deep in a forest glade a human orphan named Claus is discovered by wood nymphs and grows into a stroppy and yet curious teenager under their care. One day the Master Woodsman decides to teach the boy about the world he came from and so Claus embarks on a mission to make the lot of his fellow man a little lighter by making toys for all the little boys and girls.

This co-production between artsdepot and Big Wooden Horse uses a simple set made of stout wooden boxes that turn into a sleigh, cupboards full of gifts and a chimney in the blink of an eye. Three accomplished performers take on the roles of various woodland creatures, reindeer and also the main characters of Claus (Andrew Pugsley), the Queen of the Nymphs/Jack Frost (Holly Beth Morgan) and Master Woodsman (Ed Burnside).

Packed with funny jokes, inventive puppets, enchanting songs and tons of opportunities for the audience to join in, Santa Claus is both a beautifully crafted story and an engaging piece of theatre that deserves to be as popular as Baum’s other, more famous story.

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