Reviewed by Louise Watts
Christmas time is so exciting for children especially when they get to around 3-5 years of age and begin to understand what it is all about. It is such a special time of year and as parents and grandparents, we love to see their little faces light up with excitement and joy. Pantomime is great for kids but can sometimes be a little too long for smaller children and they can get restless or bored. Bearing this in mind, I visited The Capitol theatre in Horsham today to see the opening performance of The Ho Ho Ho Christmas Show! a specially created show just for small children (and big kids and grown-ups!!) which is just over an hour long and perfectly pitched for this excitable age range.
Before I begin to tell you what the show is about, I have only three words to sum the hour up… Wow, Wow and Wow!!! The show was held in the Studio at The Capitol which is a small intimate space with around 100 seats. The stage looked amazing and was simply oozing Christmas spirit. It was simple, bold, bright and captivating for all.
The show tells the story of Steve the Head Elf and everything he has to do in preparation for Santa at Christmas. There are 4 main parts to the show each with a task and a solution. Steve was brilliant and had the children’s attention throughout. He was a kind-hearted elf who demonstrated all the qualities that should be seen at Christmas, particularly kindness. With the help of Carol elf, they put on a display of childhood humour and fun while trying to sort presents. It was a delight to see the happy faces on the small children in the audience.
The tasks required some little helpers and children were encouraged to come on stage and assist. Their enthusiasm was delightful to see and they were so proud of themselves once they had completed the task for Steve Elf. They were confident and loving every minute!
Eventually after meeting Rusty the Cook Elf, Rudolph and Tiny Tina it was time for Santa’s grand entrance. This was truly magical and enchanting.
This show had everything you could possibly want for small children – elves, Santa, snow, stories, reindeer, gingerbread men, presents, all packed into a perfectly pitched show. I would thoroughly recommend this show to everyone with children aged 10 or under and everyone with kids aged 10 and over. In other words, this show is the must see show of the season for everyone – absolutely brilliant and guaranteed to leave you feeling festive. I enjoyed it so much, I am booking to take my 4-year-old son later in the week and am already looking forward to seeing it again and watching the delight on his face!
Rating: 5/5
Tickets cost £12.50 (booking fees may apply).
The Ho Ho Ho Christmas Show! is at The Capitol in Horsham from 14-24 December 2018, for more information or to book tickets visit www.thecapitolhorsham.com or call the box office on 01403 750220.
The Capitol Horsham, North Street, Horsham, West Sussex, RH12 1RG | 01403 750220
