A Twisted Christmas Indeed

Arts Club’s holiday show a comedic hit.
By Samantha Thompson
[executive editor]

The Arts Club has taken a Christmas classic and combined it with improv, and the hilarious result is A Twisted Christmas. It is unlike most Christmas plays, in that there are no heartwarming lines, no tear-worthy moments–it’s different and that’s a good thing.

The production tells the story of Scrooge, who receives visits from ghosts of Christmas past, present and future who help show him the impact his greed is having on those around him. In the original, the tale is one with heavily ingrained morals, but A Twisted Christmas puts a twist on it, naturally, so that the ghosts are anything but typical.

The actors take suggestions from the audience to help shape the story, so that Scrooge may be a gymnast, which had Gary Jones as Scrooge doing awkward cartwheels around the stage.

The cast is an experienced group of improvisers, who each play a myriad of roles with great success. Of particular note is Kirk Smith as Dickens, who pulls off the role perfectly. He spends half the time in the audience, watching a complete renovation of his classic, and he pulls off the role of pretentious old-timer perfectly.

A Twisted Christmas was originally created by Rock Paper Scissors, the same group that brought us Leave it to Cleavage at the Surrey Arts Centre in November. A Twisted Christmas has been to Victoria, the Firehall Arts Centre, and the Belfry Centre, although it’s been nine years since it was last at the Arts Club. The show also includes Diana Frances, vice-president of Rock Paper Scissors, who has demonstrated that she has a real knack for witty, improvised comedy.

The production is guaranteed to fill you with uncontrollable laughter, and there is something very enjoyable about the camaraderie you feel with your fellow audience members, which can only really come out of an improv show. Going to this show will give you what you want for a comedic Christmas theatre experience. Although it doesn’t match the comedy genius of Santaland Diaries, the show that it replaced on the Revue stage, it is a form of genius in its own right.