An endearingly messy slice of Christmas silliness that’s as hit-and-miss as it is warm-hearted.Rating
Good
I’m not entirely sure what I watched—but I think I had a good time. How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney?, The Unicorn’s co-production with Told by an Idiot, is faithful to the spirit of Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen’s deliciously playful, inquisitive picture book, forever circling the question no one can truly answer: how does Santa get down a chimney? As one exasperated reindeer concludes at the end, “I still have no idea how he does it… but I’m glad he can.”
If any company were built for this kind of existential silliness, it’s Told by an Idiot. Their signature mix of clowning, physical comedy and gently anarchic storytelling is exactly the right match on paper—big-hearted, lo-fi chaos with a cheeky wink at the audience. And on many levels, it lands: adults laugh loudly and often; children enjoy the cheekiness, even if it’s sometimes hard to gauge what they’re actually taking from it.
Performances from Giulia Innocenti, Nathan Queeley-Dennis, Frida Cæcilia Rødbroe, and Mikey Ureta are physically sharp, playful and precise, navigating a series of comic set-pieces drawn chronologically from the book. There’s a dog routine featuring a squeaky toy, bone and reluctant belly rub (plus the inevitable comedy wee up the set). There’s a surreal interlude involving a giant baby, a drill and the kind of flashlight interrogation that feels lifted from a strange 15+ film. A “key under the flowerpot” scene escalates until a child is hoisted onto the stage to pluck it from a pesky hook that is always out of Santa’s reach. Then comes a Deliveroo moment: an enormous food box arrives, conveniently large enough for Santa to climb inside to solve the no-chimney problem in blocks of flats. And as with all the reluctant Santa adversaries or unexpected helpers, each sequence ends with a tiny, unexpected gift being left. It’s strangely touching.
All of this unfolds within a wintery, free-play environment designed by Sonya Smullen: soft white ramps, a rooftop occupied by watchful pigeons and a collection of fluffy white boxes that transform into TVs, washing machines and other household objects. It’s charming, though scale is an issue. Some props are so small they disappear visually, and hurling stuff into the wings feels more careless than comic. The Santa puppet, beautiful as it is, drifts in and out without ever becoming the narrative anchor it could be.
Rødbroe’s delicate Danish sung folk refrains, live folio and concertina—a big highlight—frame the piece and give the Reindeer real warmth, supported, sort of, by Esther Kehinde Ajayi’s sound design. The sound world does veer wildly—from crashes, bangs and farts, to Santa rap sequences and big Christmas hits—leaving us with something that feels like someone’s Spotify mix on shuffle. Then, this might be entirely the point.
At 50 minutes, the show craves intimacy. It’s really a studio-scale piece where nuance, detail and spontaneous audience interaction could breathe. On a large stage, bringing children up feels more panto-cute than organically playful. And honestly, this would probably be a massive hit at late night showings for adults who have imbibed a few mulled wines, but again maybe that is the point.
If you’re expecting a glittery two-act sing-along with an interval ice cream, this isn’t it. But perhaps that’s its charm. It’s a mischievous, oddball Christmas diversion—one that invites families to bring their own memories, Santa mythology, and maybe emotional contradictions. Children will also enjoy watching adults laugh too loudly and tear up. And adults may find themselves remembering the Christmases—and Santas—of long ago. Because sometimes, especially at Christmas, something a little confusing is what you need to ease that Boxing Day indigestion, rather than kidding yourself that having another mince pie will make you feel better about yourself.
From the book by: Mac Barnett
Illustrated by: Jon Klassen
Adaptor and Director: Paul Hunter
Designer: Sonya Smullen
Lighting Designer: Sarah Readman
Sound Designer: Esther Kehinde Ajayi
Composer: Frida Cæcilia Rødbroe
Choreographer: Mikey Ureta
Puppet Director: Rachel Leonard
Assistant Director: Anna Blackburn
Chase Creator: Carolina Valdés
The Unicorn’s first co-production with Told by an Idiot, How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney?, is aimed at ages 2-10 and runs at Unicorn Theatre until Saturday 3 January.
