The Littlest Christmas Tree

Published Monday 10 December 2007 at 11:55 by Thom Dibdin

Andy Manley has created a truly delightful little Christmas tale for under fives at the Macrobert.

It tells the simple story of Goxo (Itxaso Moreno) and Dantza (Rosalind Sydney) whose job it is to deliver Christmas trees.

They note each tree by finding its characteristic noise. Then, using a special listening device, search around Claire Halleran’s brilliantly designed set to find the hiding place of the house which matches it by sound. All done, they discover a final tree that needs delivering before Goxo can sit down to eat her cake and Dantza do her special Christmas dance.

Moreno and Sydney bring a hint of clowning to their physical performances, guiding the plot along and ensuring each new revelation is given a real sense of discovery.

There is more to it than mere picture-book theatrics, however. Their search to place the final tree takes them over cliffs, down into caves and up to the highest mountains. The discovery that it was their own tree after all lets them use the things found on their journey as decoration. And the final scene as they share their cake and dance together is a finely delivered resolution to an enchanting piece of theatre.