Driving home for Christmas tells the story of a group of people who end up snowed in on Christmas Eve. Their refuge is the Dander Inn - not quite the cosy pub in the country you might first imagine, but instead a run down establishment owned by ageing (and slightly creepy) twins Pat & Paddy, who offer a less than warm welcome to the hapless visitors.
The stranded travellers make an unlikely group; there is smart, middle-aged Alison, who supplies Catholic religion goods for a living, a BT9er and his fiancée who are going to spend Christmas with her culchie family, as well as the male members of an Abba tribute band who all stumble upon the shabby shack deep in the Sperrin mountains in look of shelter.
Comic duo and writers Conor Grimes and Alan McKee play the oddball brother and sister (as well as musician Frank) and switch between the characters seamlessly, whilst Frankie McCafferty returns as director and keeps the plot running smoothly.
Gary Crossan puts on an energetic performance as pompous Rudy and as we listen to him drone on about his own self-importance, we can’t help but wonder why his long-suffering fiancée Ciara, played by Ruby Campbell, has agreed to marry him. Campbell’s performance as the lovely nurse Ciara is excellent and her solo performance in the second half was a definite highlight of mine.
Ali White plays Alison who tells the group the sorrowful tale of her husband struggling with Christmas preparations back at home. I would have loved for her character to be a little more developed as I found her rather basic (the wife away whilst her husband yearns for her at home in order to help with Christmas preparations seems a little dated to me personally), especially when played by an actress as talented as Ali White.
I did love watching rough and ready Frank from the tribute act, played by Alan Mckee (who excels in his dual role) as well as his fellow musician who speaks little preferring to quietly slip into the corner and play a piano.
The Bullseye sketch was one of my favourites and a great opportunity to show off just how talented the cast really are. Stuart Marshall’s creative set gives some subtle clues to the dark twist ahead and the bacon fries on offer are a nice nod to Belfast.
Fans of the Godfather will love the clever reference in one particular scene; in fact there are a few classic film & TV references as well as some great musical numbers with clever lyrical changes.
The incongruous characters and witty script were great but I couldn’t help but think it could have been taken a little further. My laughs seemed fewer than previous years and some scenes left me slightly cringing rather than laughing but as the laughs roared around me, it is fair to say not everyone felt this way. Perhaps the standard of Grimes and McKee’s ‘Nativity… What the Donkey Saw’ made my expectations a little too high but I just couldn’t help but leave feeling a little underwhelmed. However friends of mine went to the see the play and raved about it – so it is definitely worth checking out.