“a fleeting little treat in the middle of another shitty winter”

December 21, 2022 1:58 AM

A Show for Christmas by English comedian and playwright Daniel Kitson, is “a story about possibility and magic and grief and hope and tradition and toffees. Which is to say, Christmas. Basically.” It is an audio adaptation of a stage show he did in 2014 for the Battersea Arts Centre. The hour and a half running time is mostly narration by Daniel Kitson, but it also features Isy Suttie in an acting role. It is available online until January 1st.
posted by Kattullus (2 comments total)

Thank you for posting this, a real treat to enjoy over Christmas. I saw Kitson's 2019 show, Keep, which was also at Battersea Arts Centre (a place I have huge affection for, having lived round the corner for about ten years and seen lots of new work there). The whole audience was silent and spellbound at the end, you could sense everyone holding their breath.

I think the first time I saw Kitson was doing a monologue as the opener at a Belle and Sebastian gig - I wish more bands had comedians, poets and so on as support acts, it seems to have been common in the 80s but to have faded away since then. That was similarly a piece which had a really magical quality of drawing you instantly into his world.
posted by greycap at 5:52 AM on December 21, 2022 [1 favorite]

For those who don't know, Kitson is a performer who stands up in front of an audience, and is very good at making them laugh, but somehow the job title 'stand-up comedian' doesn't suit him. He's more of an old-fashioned storyteller - someone who can tell a tale and keep an audience absolutely enthralled for an hour or two. Wonderful, and rare.
posted by vincebowdren at 11:18 AM on December 23, 2022 [1 favorite]