Review: Unicorn Christmas Party – The Studio Edinburgh

As much an experience, as a performance, Sarah Rose Graber and Ruxy Cantir’s Unicorn Christmas Party is taking over Capital Theatre’s Studio for December. The usual raked seating has been removed, freeing the rather large space to be divided in twain. Say goodbye to the charming, but small bar, and hello to a unicorn party-themed waiting area, complete with tables, chairs, magically themed colouring-in sheets, and photo-ops. There are also coat racks and places to leave your bags (though obviously at your personal discretion!)

Thus, by all means, turn up a little early and make the most of this immersive extension of the show. I did, and you may well have come across my and Thom Dibdin’s wonderful collaboration on Twitter already.

Once the audience has been calmy ushered through to the show area, and equipped with a mysterious gold envelope, it’s time for the host unicorns to come forth. The stage, all chequered floor, frills, and pastel ombre backdrop is a fitting party space for excited horses with horns, and Sarah Rose and Ruxy make the most of it.

Their costuming and makeup are remarkable, from sharp tailoring to the bright, rather bougie colour schemes. Topped with wigs fit for a My Little Pony^TM, and horns (of course), no effort has been spared. They are, so far as two biped humans can be, functional unicorns. Bravo indeed to Set & Costume Designer Kenny Miller.

Their sparkling appearance is matched by their seemingly boundless energy, their expressions wrought in variations of smiles which – quite impressively – never seem the least bit painted on. Their show is also elegantly simple, a message arriving by parachute early doors to announce that Santa, a good friend of Melody and Luna (the performers’ hooved alter-egos), has lost his sparkle, and Christmas is in danger of cancellation.

There’s only one thing for it! Recruited by the unicorns, the audience (also unicorns) will help prepare for a momentous Christmas party. The sparkle generated will be so overwhelming, that Santa’s sparkle-meter will probably burst, and Christmas will be saved. With the experienced pair leading the festive charge, the assembled ‘Minicorns, Teeny Tinycorns, and Biggiecorns’ will be put through their paces to make sure the final party is a sparkling blinder.

This mainly consists of a good deal of boogying to a series of iconic Christmas songs, including but not limited to Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, Run Run Rudolph, Merry Christmas Everyone, and All I Want for Christmas is You. Thanks to Melody and Luna’s guidance, this does not descend into a feast of dad-dancing and spinning kiddies. Instead with all the energy of a Zumba host, high on life, they take all the assembled unicorns through simple hops, steps, and jumps fashioned to suit each track.

There’s really nothing not to like about the Unicorn Christmas Party. Graber and Cantir are excellent performers who interact well with an audience. They are thoroughly invested in the experience from beginning to end. They share a wonderful chemistry, which propels them through all sorts of capers, from snowball fights to recounting charming, and funny accounts of their past experiences with Santa and Rudolph.

The show would likely benefit from a little more story if only to add more emotional heft to engage older children. The possibility of the party not being enough to save Santa would only make the final triumph all the sweeter. The deftness of the show’s performer-creators suggests they have all the talents needed to sell that touch of peril.

However, that’s not to say that the Unicorn Christmas Party isn’t an excellent family show, because it most certainly is! There’s an abundance of talent on display and quality of production which speaks of many long hours of preparation, and practice. I certainly had a grand old time bopping away at the back from start to finish, as did my colleagues in the press sitting alongside.

At the end of the 45 minutes, the assembled Minicorns had all found their way to their feet, and delightedly covered themselves in provided stick-on gems. Their Biggiecorn counterparts may not all have discovered the weekday morning fever, but not a head went un-bopped before the show was over, and Christmas saved. Ruxy Cantir and Sarah Rose Graber promise a Unicorn Christmas Party, and that’s precisely what you get!

Unicorn Christmas Party is Co-produced by Capital Theatres and Raw Material. Originally commissioned by Aberdeen Performing Arts, Capital Theatres and Eden Court Inverness with support from Creative Scotland’s Performing Arts Recovery Fund.