SANTA Claus faces accusations of sexual assault, child-abuse and harassment of his staff. So, maybe his beard is not quite as white as it seems! In Jeff Goode’s allegory, each of the reindeer gets around ten minutes to put forward their own take on their boss’s dubious management technique. This script pulls no punches and is very thought-provoking, emotional and humorous at times. Aleksandra Malec directed in the immersive café location and all eight players were well-cast and performed admirably. The four with the darker stories; Les Barden (Hollywood), Harvey Seymour (Donner), Georgie Mallett (Dasher) and Acadia Stanton (Vixen) had the most harrowing tales to tell and, accordingly, were very impressive. Jake Williams (Cupid), Simon Burke (Comet), Gena Merrells (Blitzen) and Mathilde Martin (Dancer) all did well as they expressed their individual take on the roles they play in the season of goodwill to all men - but not to reindeer. No Ho-ho-ho here!

Alan Johns