The Flint Street Nativity

Nantwich Players made a return to the stage with their seasonal offering of Tim Firth’s ‘The Flint Street Nativity’, which was directed by Adam Goode. Set in the classroom, there was much to be admired with the staging of this production. From the backdrop for the Nativity, which looked like chalk drawings on a chalkboard to the general clutter of a primary school classroom to the brilliant home corner where the Innkeeper would mysteriously appear and disappear from. There was staging blocks upstage, where the Nativity was performed. There was some great work on show in terms of character development. The cast worked hard creating believable performances as children, and you were able to see the personality traits of the children in their parents. This was down to secure performances from the cast. The childlike innocence and mannerisms were really well captured by the cast. The pace was generally very good from the entire cast and the production moved along nicely. The costumes were very good, from the homemade feel of the Nativity costumes, including cardboard crowns and tinsel aplenty. The costumes of the parents suited each character well, from the fun Christmas jumper of Gabriel’s mum to the mayor’s chain of Innkeeper’s dad.

On first reading the script, the songs appear easy enough as they are traditional carols rewritten. However, this is not the case, and they are rather tricky. Stephen Clay worked with the cast to master the songs and did very well. The songs are vital to the play, as they reveal information about the lives of the children, and many are poignant.

Technical elements were well implemented into the production. The sound balance between the keyboard and cast singing was good, considering the cast didn’t have use of microphones. Other music and sounds were well cued throughout. The lighting design was good as well. From the red light of Missis Horrocks, to the ominous green for the Innkeeper; all were cued at the right time.

Jonathan Brett put in a good performance as Innkeeper. He was suitably imposing as Innkeeper, but Jonathan also showed a softer side to the character, as he tried to impress Mary. As Innkeeper’s dad, Jonathan gave quite a bullish character, showing the similarities between Innkeeper and his dad.

Playing Star was Jonathan Everitt. This was a very good performance from Jonathan as the know it all Star. Jonathan was also able to get across the insecurity of Star, as he tried to impress Innkeeper. Uncle Ted was nicely played as well, as it became apparent that Uncle Ted is actually Star’s real dad.

Chris Fisher played Ass. This was a good comic role from Chris. Despite having his face covered, Chris’s diction and articulation was very good. The physicality was good from Chris as well, and he worked well with Charlie’s Wise Frankincense.

Trevor Hough played Narrator. This was a convincing performance from Trevor as he played the nervous Narrator, looking out for his mum and dad. The realisation that his mum was there with someone else was nicely played by Trevor. The emotion from Trevor as Narrator’s dad was believable. That was a lovely moment with Catherine’s Mary.

Taking on Herod/Joseph was Maximillian Clay. Maximillian did well as the ‘A Question of Sport’ obsessed Herod/Joseph. There were some great comic moments from Maximillian and the line delivery was good. As Herod/Joseph’s dad, he was suitably busy and not wanting to be there.

Charlie Gobbett put in a sincere performance as Wise Frankincense. The speech impediment of the character was not overplayed, and the audience were willing the character on throughout the production. The child and adult characters played by Charlie were both convincing.

Catherine Moore impressed as Mary. It was hard to believe that Catherine played both Mary and Mary’s mum. The change in Catherine’s voice and physicality was great to show these two characters. The freckled Mary was confident and wanted everything to be right. You could see that Mary’s mum was totally run off her feet and trying her best to hold it together. This was a pleasing performance from Catherine.

Wise Gold was played by Marianne Hill. This was a good performance from Marianne. The crown slipping down in front of her eyes was a great detail and added to the humour. The bingo obsessed Wise Gold’s mum was played well, missing the performance completely without a care in the world.

Carla Gonen played Angel. In oversized shirt, which worked well for Angel’s costume, Carla was confident in her portrayal, and was able to show her dismay at being dropped by Gabriel. The power play between Carla, Hope and Marianne was played well, and so true in primary schools!

Hope Brownhill played Gabriel. This was a good performance from Hope as the popular Gabriel, using this popularity to control her friendships with Wise Gold and Angel. The look in Hope’s eyes and the smirk on her face suited the character as she changed her friendships. Hope’s portrayal of Gabriel’s mum was good, showing her eagerness to impress.

Taking on the role of Shepherd was Amber Edmondson. This was a confident performance from Amber as the no nonsense Shepherd. She worked well with the rest of the cast, especially with Jonathan’s Innkeeper, developing their sibling relationship. Amber delivered Shepherd’s song (probably the trickiest in the show) well.

Overall, this was a good production. The characterisations were good, the songs were performed well, and the set looked very good.

A big thank you to everyone at Nantwich Players for their kind invite.

This review is dedicated to the memory of Don Hirst.

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