It’s not Christmas until PopRox hits the stage.
A massive leap from their Nativity Play last year, PopRox is back with an all new take on Christmas; a Bachelorette spoof that casts the recently widowed Ms. Christmas as the leading lady looking for love.
The Hannah Playhouse is abuzz with excitement as Lia Kelly plays fun, boppy versions of Christmas classics on her keyboard, and the audience is invited to settle in and get comfortable. It’s a great vibe to start the show. After a few rounds of applause for the pianist, the lights dim and the show begins.
Ms. Christmas Bachelorette is an immediately compelling concept. The MC for the night, Jesus Christ (played by Issac Thomas), bursts in with a jovial energy and a killer smile and explains the context of why Ms. Christmas (Millie Osborne) is even single at all. Santa is dead, trampled by reindeer. And it’s time for her to move on. We immediately know what sort of show we’re in for, and every audience member is ready for suitors to kick down the door and woo the hell out Ms. Christmas. Expectations are set.
And then they are exceeded.
Every suitor that comes in is either a classic Christmas archetype or a spoof on an existing character. Each one is played to perfection. The escalation blows me away, despite knowing the calibre of these improvisors. PopRox continues to surprise me with their sheer polish and skill expression, leaving me screaming at every new character that emerges from behind the black curtains.
Austin Harrison sets the tone with his employee-turned-suitor, Elfie, who seeks to make an HR mess by courting his boss. He’s on a status-shift roll tonight, jumping between looking smaller than Ms. Christmas as his desperation for her affection deepens, and looking larger than the Grinch as he confronts him for his Christmas crimes.
He’s followed by Nina Hogg, playing Ginger Bread, a glamourous biscuit with French vanilla accent. Her wits are razor-sharp tonight, riffing banger after banger about monster trucks without ever saying ‘monster trucks’. From the get-go, she’s the audience favourite to win. Yes, I speak for the whole audience.
Coming in with full costume is Jed Davies playing the Grinch. The amount of prep work that’s gone into this character is insane. The fur, the voice, the mannerisms are all pitch perfect, down to the sneering and snarling way he sings. Add all of that to classic Davies acuity, and you get absolute cinema.
The fourth suitor is Dylan Hutton‘s John McClane of Die Hard fame. Fresh off a scuff at Nakatomi Plaza, Hutton bursts onto the stage drenched in blood, guns loaded. At first, it makes no sense for him to be here, even in-universe, but through quick justification skills and just pure charm, McClane earns his place in the ring.
Receiving the affections of these four is Ms. Christmas, played by Millie Osborne. She’s a constant delight as the main focus and does an amazing job reacting and playing off the insanity of her suitors. In her capacity as decision-maker, Osborne practically acts as the show’s director, allowing the storylines that the audience is more invested in to flourish while ensuring that all her fellow performers are given plenty to work with. And, once again, Osborne is hot.
Holding the festivities together is the Redeemer himself, Jesus Christ whose second coming has come in the form of Isaac Thomas. Thomas is an excellent MC, maintaining a cheeky energy with the audience but keeping the show running to a great pace. The show never feels like it drags, even when it’s designed to. He spends a good ten seconds slowly moving parts of the stage around, and we’re just happy to watch in silence.
On the crew side, we have Campbell Wright executing on point-perfect spotlights and improvising just as much as the players on stage are. He’s clearly enjoying himself up in the booth, turning the stage completely red during a bloody scene. On-stage, the ambience is complimented by Lia Kelly who, in a reindeer outfit, provides poignant keyboard accompaniments. It’s just the perfect amount of vibe without ever overshadowing what the players are up to.
For those looking for more traditional PopRox fare, there’s plenty of it here. Anyone who’s familiar with their regular Circa show will love the Christmassy twist on their classic games which seem so much more elevated on a bigger stage.
And that’s the simple key to PopRox’s ongoing success. The goal of every scene, and the show itself, is so clearly communicated to the audience. At any given point, we know what’s going on and what’s going to happen next. With every audience on board from the moment a bit starts, there’s very little of the standard ‘what is happening?’ vibe that many an improv show can fall into without strong preparation.
Once again, PopRox has outpolished themselves. From the strong premise to the immaculate execution, Ms. Christmas Bachelorette is the best way to kick off the Christmas season, and my only gripe is that it’s on for one night only. I sincerely hope they bring it back.
RIP Santa. You would have loved this.
Disclosure: As a somewhat active member of the Wellington performing arts community, I may be quite familiar with a number of the performers in this show.
Having said that, I am not a liar, and there is zero bias in my reviews, shut up.
Also, tickets were provided to me for free by the production. Literally changes nothing, though.