REVIEW: A FAIRYTALE FOR CHRISTMAS @ DOMINION THEATRE

🎭 A Fairytale For Christmas

📍 Dominion Theatre, 268-269 Tottenham Court Road, London, W1T 7AQ

🗓 Sunday 24th November 2025

⭐️⭐️⭐️

A WARM BUT WONKY CHRISTMAS JUMPER!

The spirit of Christmas is a difficult beast to tame on stage and although A FAIRYTALE FOR CHRISTMAS does its very best, it's a glitter-covered, slightly wonky attempt at festive magic.

The Irish-inspired Christmas concert arrives with a friendly wave and a cheerful grin, delivering a perfectly pleasant, if slightly uneven, blend of festive hits and Celtic folk songs. While it succeeds in its core mission of spreading light-hearted seasonal joy, the production feels a little like an amiable Christmas jumper - comfortable and warm, but a bit cheesy in places!

The takent on stage is undeniable, and their enthusiasm is infectious. The cast of musician-singers and dancers work tirelessly, with particularly strong showings from fiddler Caitlin Forbes, whose vocals on the Celtic-infused Danny Boy are genuinely moving.

The spirited Irish dancing is energetic, and the dancer's frequent costume changes ass welcome sparkle to the proceedings. The show is, at its heart, a crowd-pleaser, and for many that will be more than enough to get them in the spirit.

However, the production never quit elevates itself from enjoyable to truly special. The narrative framework, set in 'McGrath's Bar' with jovial but cheesy banter, feels thin and at times disjointed. The fact it was set in New York didn't really make sense and was never explained.

The jump between a full-throttle Christmas singalong and a more reflective carol can feel jarring, hindering the show's overall rhythm. Sound issues also plagued the performance, often obscuring lyrics - though the lively audience seemed unbothered by this.

Another issue for me personally was that the mixture of recorded music and instruments being played took away the magic and added to the sound issues. The choreography of the Irish dancing segments was good, but in the other sections felt lazy, with the execution needing to be rehearsed and tightened up a lot more.

I have to say that the standout star of the show was the lighting design, which was magnificent. It enhanced the production tenfold and was the definite highlight of the evening for me.

Unfortunately the show feels less like a cohesive performance and more like a collection of distinct elements - a fre Irish pub songs, a handful of Christmas classics, and some traditional dancing - strung together.

While the evening offers plenty of charm and enough festive cheer to satisfy those looking for a solid night out, ultimately it lacks the focused polish and magic required to be truly memorable.

Don't get me wrong, A FAIRYTALE FOR CHRISTMAS is a perfectly good way to kick off the season. It's not bad, not by a long shot. It's just not quite as enchanting as it wants to be. A solid, if slightly forgettable, evening of festive frolics.

The production is touring until Monday 22nd December. Click here to check dates and to book tickets.

Neill Kovacic-Clarke

All views are my own and I pride myself on being honest, fair and free from influence. Theatre is subjective and it is important to remember that all views expressed are just those of one person.

My ticket for this performance of A Fairytale For Christmas was gifted by Chloe Nelkin Consulting who invited me to watch the show in exchange for my honest review. The fact that my ticket was gifted played no part in the content of my review or the star rating given.

CAST LIST:

Shane Morgan - Narrator / Vocalist; Oliver Cave - Vocalist / Guitarist; Peet Jackson - Multi Instrumentalist / Vocalist; Molly Farmer - Vocalist; Caitlin Forbes - Fiddle Player / Vocalist; Georgia Amery - Dancer; Rachel Adele Bolsworth - Dancer; Katie Tone - Dancer; Erin Dallas - Dancer; Isabelle Haxeldine - Dancer; Hannah Rose Pendlebury - Dancer

RUNNING TIME (approx):

2 hours 20 minutes, with no interval

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