Kristmas With The Kringles is a very clever show. Though it is improvised, and therefore relies heavily upon spontaneity and chance accident, it is artfully structured around the format of a corny American TV show. We are in Trumpton, Missouri, the kind of town where the current President-elect is likely drop in to make a speech in gratitude for its support. We learn that the Kringles, like the Osmonds, are a family of TV entertainers, all cheesy grins and forced bonhomie. As their Christmas special gets underway the harassed floor-manager chivvies them into doing their homely stuff, but behind the scenes it becomes clear that all is not what it seems. This is a family that could give ‘dysfunctional’ a bad name. Their show is a distant relation of Whose Line Is It Anyway? and uses suggestions from the audience as starting-points for a range of wonderfully silly sketches. Last night these included a hunt for the Abominable Snowman, with sound effects supplied by two miked-up volunteers. There was also a sequence set in Lapland, with Santa abandoning reindeer in favour of llamas. An especially hysterical episode set in a B & Q store involved members of the audience operating two of the Kringles as marionettes. Inevitably, not all the sketches are side-splitting, but it’s not long before another one comes along that hits the target. It is a real strength of the show that each performer is playing a specific character with a back story. In between the randomness of the improvised sketches we gradually learn just how far the reality of the Kringles’ lives runs counter to the image of happy unity that they present on TV. The climax of their show is a performance of tracks from the Kringles’ Christmas album, a sequence that parodies various pop music genres. Last night’s performance included brilliant versions of hi-hop and blues. As the team behind Wardrobe’s long-running soap opera, Closer Each Day, the cast are very experienced improvisers. They quickly establish a rapport with the audience, and their ability to think on their feet is hugely impressive. Kristmas With The Kringles good late-night Yuletide fun, so get along to Old Market and be prepared to join in! ★★★★☆ Mike Whitton 10th December 2016
