Christmas is all about coming in from the cold and cosying up in comfort with loved ones, but the darker, flipside of the season still lingers at its fringes, from Dickens to the German Krampus legend. Such Victorian-era culture and European folklore remind us that before the magic of indoor heating and pigs in blankets, the winter months were harsh, sunless and spinetingling for reasons beyond just the weather. It’s this feeling, in the clear shadow of Dickens, that Dyad Productions’ Christmas Gothic hopes to evoke in audiences this year.
Not only does it fall within the remit of darker seasonal traditions, but the production is well within Dyad’s brand of female-fronted, tragic tales, following shows like Jane Eyre: An Autobiography and The Unremarkable Death Of Marilyn Monroe, to name a few. Of Christmas Gothic, the company contextualises the series of spooky tales as “a time to remember the past, celebrate the present, and look to the future.”
The Met, Abertillery, Thurs 9 Dec; Taliesin Arts Centre, Swansea, Fri 10 Dec; Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, Sat 11 Dec; Theatr Brychieniog, Brecon, Sun 12 Dec.
Tickets: £10-£14. Info: here
words HANNAH COLLINS
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