Theatre review: Bauble Trouble, Glasgow

BEFORE the show has even started, actor Keith Macpherson has won over his young audience.

Bauble Trouble. Picture: Richard Campbell

BAUBLE TROUBLE

Citizens’ Theatre, Glasgow 
Star rating: * * *

Putting his Lecoq physical theatre training to good use, he falls over, gets tied up inside his own jumper and attempts to climb a stepladder – acts of buffoonery that provoke peals of laughter from the pre-schoolers.

Once the story is underway, the intimate space works well as a family living room. A “to do” list sits on the mantelpiece, helping Macpherson and his on-stage daughter, Jessica Hardwick, prepare for Christmas the following morning.

There are gifts to be wrapped, stockings and baubles to be hung, and tinsel to be strewn – all before the big guy slides down the chimney. The father/daughter teamwork that ends with a sleepy cuddle on the sofa, and the magical arrival of you-know-who, both work a treat. It’s only when the rather forgettable songs, delivered with a distinct lack of verve, are trotted out that Bauble Trouble feels like an afterthought to the main stage show.