Now becoming a festive tr-addition to the annual Royal Court calendar, Stocking Fillers is back for 2024. This year, it’s comprised of seven short plays (approximately ten minutes each) with a transition performance by one of the four-strong cast in between- from poems to parodies and beyond.

Each piece is written by a member of one of the Royal Court’s writing groups and staged by professional actors with production in excellent hands with the theatre’s in-house team and local talent.

The cast is comprised of Tasha Dowd, Lynn Francis, Elliott Kingsley and Joe McGann, all of whom give strong performances in each role they’ve been assigned. Dowd grabs every comedic opportunity and runs with it. Their expressions and physicality are sound, and my eyes were drawn to them in every stolen scene. Francis, as usual gives a flawless performance showing her versatility as an actress. She’ll make you laugh until you hurt but give her a dramatic role, and she’ll pull at your heartstrings. Kingsley makes the most of the roles he’s given, particularly shining as an interrogatee and as an interpretation of Judas which is reminiscent of Bez of the Happy Mondays. Rounding up the cast, McGann gives stellar performances throughout, from an angry Brummie turtle dove to someone spending their Christmas alone for the first time- I’ll say no more because I’ll cry.

Set and costume from Jen Baron take you straight to where the audience need to be, from a living room to Don Lewis and the branches of a Christmas tree- watch out for Francis as one of Santa’s little helpers. Phil Dickinson’s sound and lighting design are effective with the multitude of SFX, adding to the hilarity of the pieces, working hand in hand with Jamie Jenkin’s sleek video design, which I’m yet to see less than gold.

With direction from Sam Donovan, think of this like a variety show or, as I have chosen to describe it (but bear with me), the last selection box on the shelf on Christmas Eve. At a more than reasonable price point, this show knows exactly what it is, something some large productions can only dream of. Where it may be slightly rough around the edges, the inside is exactly what you want and need. There’s one that’s a bit nutty; there’s one that’s hard on the outside but soft in the centre; there’s the one you’re undecided about but end up enjoying; there’s the one that’s not your thing but is the favourite of the person next to you; alas, you get the gist. There is something for everybody in this show and, I have to say, the cherry on the cake came with the final number, revealing the recurring theme throughout. Leaving the venue, I felt more festive than I have so far this season- my heart full of warmth on a freezing Liverpool evening.

Stocking Fillers plays select dates at Liverpool’s Royal Court until 29^th December. Details and booking can be found here.

Tickets gifted in exchange for an honest review.

Photography courtesy of the production.