By David Farr. Directed by Patricia Melluish.
This is an imaginative portrayal of the Christmas story, which manages to combine the simplicity of the well-known Christmas tale, with stories from the Old Testament. These stories illustrate the beliefs of faith, hope and charity. This combination presents a delightful mixture of reverence, humour and love.
In this production, which was set in the round, the eleven members of the cast played fifty different characters between them, including:
Sian Elliott: Mary
Stuart Scott: Joseph, Shepherd
Emily London: Isaac, David, Sheep, Balthazar
Keith Jeremiah: Joseph’s brother, Minister of Justice, Israelite Warrior
John Heather: Herod, Abraham
Ian-Paul Munday: Goliath, Shepherd, Commander of the soldiers
Viki Jones: Shepherd, Villager, Prostitute, Sarah
Ruth Aylward: Solomon, Villager, Waterseller, Caspar
James Neary: Donkey, Ezra, Benjamin, Spy
Samantha Ellery: Angel Gabriel, Samaritan, Melchior
Richard Barrett: Mary’s father, Israelite warrior, Solomon’s officer
Assistant Director: Sandie Campbell
Stage Director: John Heather
Set Design: John Heather
Lighting Designer: Andrew Herbert
Sound Designer: Ian James
Special Construction: Andrew Heather, John Heather, Derek Melluish
Stage Manager: Liane Marchant
Assistant Stage Managers: Amy Burnell, Patricia Matthews
Stage Crew: Derek Melluish
Lighting Assistant: Sam Tanner
Sound Assistant: Sharon Fowler
Props: Beryl Neal
Wardrobe: Margaret Uzzell, Joan Martin
Prompt: Nikki Packham, Mary Ransome
House Manager: John Heather
Refreshments: Ann Herbert, Nina James
Raffle: Eve Stone
Box Office: Margaret Uzzell
Programme/Poster Design: Graham Copeland
Programme Editor: John Guttridge
Theatre 62, West Wickham 