Review: O CHRISTMAS TEA at Meridian Theatres @ Centrepointe

The award-winning duo, James and Jamesy, sailed into Meridien Theatres @ Centrepointe in Ottawa last night aboard a white teapot. If you think that sounds ridiculous, I'm only just getting started. O Christmas Tea began with a Christmas tune and the audience was encouraged to sing along. Fortunately, the lyrics were provided with the program, but that did not seem to help the gents much, whose solo portion was a truly abysmal effort.

James (Aaron Malkin) and Jamesy (Alastair Knowles) are a pair of oddball characters. Jamesy is the sillier of the two, with Knowles using his clown training to make comical, exaggerated gestures and facial expressions. Good natured James is the more serious one; he tries (and fails) to make Jamesy a little more grounded. For example, James was able to break the fourth wall to speak to the audience directly. Jamesy, however, vehemently denied that there was anything other than a solid wall between the stage and the audience. Ultimately, Jamesy sweeps James up into his alternate world and we all go along for the ride.

The story takes shape in a roundabout way that is partly scripted and largely improvised, with a hefty dose of slapstick. It is heavily based on the style of classic English pantomime, where the audience plays a role in the story arc, as they are encouraged to play along, shout out responses on cue, and even take on certain character roles.

The story (co-written by Knowles, Malkin, and David MacMurray Smith) is concocted out of Jamesy's imagination and goes from a simple tea table set for two to a magical journey on a sea of tea with many fanciful encounters, with nods to various fables, films, and recent events. I must stop there, as delving any further into the plot details would spoil it for future audiences and the best part of the show is not knowing what to expect. The dynamic between James and Jamesy is amazing. I have been to other pantomimes, but the audience here seemed to embrace the interaction more than I've ever experienced before, which is entirely thanks to Knowles' and Malkin's camaraderie that they share with the audience.

I encourage anyone who gets the opportunity to see O Christmas Tea to experience it for themselves. A laugh out loud mix of mayhem and merriment, it left the crowd beaming after two hours of pure escapist fun.

Click here for more information and to discover where O Christmas Tea is sailing next.

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