Thick & Tight Will Bring CAMP AS CHRISTMAS to Southbank Centre
Daniel Hay-Gordon and El Perry star in the Purcell Room commission, part of Southbank Centre's 75th anniversary programme.
Combining Thick & Tight's signature mix of dance, drag, mime, lip-syncing and satire, Camp as Christmas affectionately trashes the festive season, providing an uproarious and subversive antidote to mainstream merriment. Camp as Christmas is part of the Southbank Centre's 75th anniversary programme. Performances will run 10 December 2026 - 3 January 2027.
Featuring a classic nativity cast including the Virgin Mary, Father Christmas, Reform UK, Judy Garland, Three Unwise Men, Sarah Ferguson, Pigs in Blankets, the Devil, Little Donkey, Liza and Baby Jesus … Expect Thick & Tight's singular take on show tunes, the avant-garde, lightning quick changes and possibly a carol. Starring in these roles are Thick & Tight's own Daniel Hay-Gordon and El Perry, with guest performers.
The atmosphere will be celebratory, inclusive and queer, striking a few festive notes while adding a good dollop of irreverence to the conventions of the season.
Daniel and El say, “When the Southbank Centre invited us to create a Christmas show for the Purcell Room, we knew exactly what the assignment was: An hour of non-stop entertainment utilising everything we have learnt as performers and choreographers. In a way, it will be a bit like returning to our roots. Though El and I trained in ballet and contemporary dance at Rambert, as theatre makers, we began developing our style while performing in gay bars and queer venues.
We combined the rigour and physicality of dance with what was going on around us like drag, lip-syncing and live art. We love to make work which exists somewhere between high and low art, campy yet refined, outrageous and gorgeous, strange and silly. Camp as Christmas will keep bouncing between these seeming opposites as that is what we love and what entertainment is to us.
For years, Thick & Tight have created portraits of famous and infamous people: Marilyn Monroe, Princess Diana, Freud, Madonna, Andy Warhol, the Kardashians, Quentin Crisp and more. Camp as Christmas will have a whole new troupe of stars, some from the classical nativity cast and modern additions. We also want the show to celebrate everything that is wonderful and awful about the times we are living in; expect to see those that have been naughty and nice on Santa's list (we're looking at you Andrew and Farage). This is also going to be a wonderful excuse to try our turn at some of the pinnacles of camp culture like Judy Garland and Liza, they're always relevant and part of our culture for very good reasons.
We want this show to be a great alternative show at Christmas time, for anyone who loves to watch dance, a panto or a carol concert but wants them all wrapped in one. A show which satirises and gift-wraps the season for you. We love to give audiences exactly what they want and hope they leave both giddy and stuffed to the brim!”
Aaron Wright, Head of Performance & Dance at the Southbank Centre says: “The Southbank Centre is an engine of creativity: a home for artists to be their most adventurous and create extraordinary new work. As longstanding fans of Thick & Tight, we are thrilled to commission, Camp as Christmas, and present it centre stage as part of the Southbank Centre's festive season. Our programming always seeks to offer new and existing audiences unique cultural experiences and Camp as Christmas is certainly no exception - expect a distinctively sizzling evening of cabaret dance, charm and cheer!"
About Thick & Tight
Thick & Tight is a dance theatre company based in the UK, co-directed by Daniel Hay-Gordon and El Perry. They make queer-focussed work which entertains, whilst challenging elitism and stigma in the arts, and in wider society.
Formed in 2012, Thick & Tight have presented work at venues including Sadler's Wells, Wilton's Music Hall, The Tate, Royal Vauxhall Tavern and here at the Southbank Centre. They are Associate Artists at Lowry and Philharmonia Artists in Residence, recipients of the UK Theatre Award for Achievement in Dance and have been twice nominated for National Dance Awards. As well, they won an Offie in the Best Cabaret category in 2024.
Their 2025 show Natural Behaviour, was the winner of Achievement in Dance at the UK Theatre Awards. It's also been ranked No.1 dance show for 2025 in the Guardian. Their film Weathered Blue about Derek Jarman is currently doing the circuits at film festivals and has been very well received. Thick & Tight recently performed newly created work with the Philharmonia Orchestra as well and Manchester Collective plus Danny Boyle's You Are Here festival at the Southbank Centre.
Photo Credit: Darren Evans
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