“It was evident that there was a lot of talent involved in this production, and the fact that the audience was full of people who had attended previous Twist of Fate productions is an indication that Scary Goats Theatre is onto a good thing with this format.”
Beth Spencer
4 Stars
Venue : Motley Bauhaus
Melbourne
Dates: 12-13th December
Christmas is a time of celebration and joy. But what if things aren’t exactly what they seem? The Twilight Zone meets Santa Claus in this fun and surprising twist on all things Christmas.
The latest instalment in Scary Goats Theatre’s Twist of Fate series features four short plays that apply a twist, a peppermint twist, to common Christmas situations with hilarious, clever, and often dark consequences. Hosted by Chloe Towan, a multitalented ensemble of actors, writers, and directors (with some wearing multiple hats) kept the audience in suspense and laughing out loud as we were transported from a child’s house the night before Christmas, to a strange prison, to an end-of-year Krampus party, ending up in Santa’s workshop.
The first play of the evening, Naughty Nicholas (by Emily Morey) explored the concept of who’s naughty and nice when a young boy, who’s just “accidently” burnt down the family Christmas tree, sets out to make sure he’s still on Santa’s good list on Christmas eve. Ben Fox as the mischievous boy brought great energy to the role and played well off the physical humour of Richard Mealey as Santa and the clever comic timing of Seon Williams as his younger sister. A great play to kick off the evening’s twisted and humorous theme with unexpected turns and an equally hilarious and disturbing resolution.
In Prisoners of the Seasons (by Lore Burns) we meet a group of military men held against their will in an unknown prison and uncertain how they ended up in their current plight. The link to Christmas may not have been obvious from the start, but the twist in this piece revealed all in the end. Despite there being very little movement due to the characters being in restraints for the majority of the play, this was a very engaging and funny piece with notably expressive performances by the four soldiers – Corey M. Glamuzina, Richard Mealey, Ben Fox, and Liliana Braumberger – and very clever use of lighting and sound effects, designed by director of the play and tech manager of the production, Patrick Slee.
After a short interval we found ourselves at an Office Party (by Richard Mealey) where a new team member working at a company run by Krampus will soon learn what employees get up to at these end-of-year events. Hayley Michaels as the new team member held the suspense of the piece together well as the events of the party unfolded. Some clever props and creative direction, by Kate Weston, conjured up the supernatural presence of the mostly unseen Krampus, a horned, half-goat, half-demon creature from Central European folklore who is said to accompany St Nicholas to punish children who have misbehaved.
The evening finished with the play Nineteen Eighty Clause (written and directed by Chloe Towan) in which one of the elves starts to question the working conditions in Santa’s workshop in the lead up to Christmas. Cassandra Hart as the disaffected elf was a standout in this play, going on an emotional journey from hopelessly optimistic workshop supervisor to revolutionary leader. The script of this play was cleverly written, incorporating several hilarious Christmas ‘Dad jokes’, witty references to the corporatisation of Christmas, alongside the dystopian themes of totalitarianism, surveillance, and loss of freedom hinted at in the play’s title. A very fitting way to end this great collection of twisted Christmas stories.
Special mention should be made of the clever lighting and sound design led by Patrick Slee which helped transform the relatively small performance space into the four very different settings of each play. Effective props and costumes also helped to set the scenes, and good use was made of the different entrances to the stage to enhance the storytelling.
It was evident that there was a lot of talent involved in this production, and the fact that the audience was full of people who had attended previous Twist of Fate productions is an indication that Scary Goats Theatre is onto a good thing with this format. I look forward to seeing what this group has lined up for 2026. Hopefully there will be more twists of fate and laughs galore.
4 out of 5 peppermint twists
Beth Spencer, Theatre Now
