Ahead of next week’s opening night, Oh My Gache Theatre group are in the final stages of rehearsing ‘Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and then some)’. 

The comedy was created in 2003 by Michael Carleton, Jim FitzGerald, and John K. Alvares and has been brought to the island for a five-day run of shows at the end of this month.

  • Pictured: Cast and Crew for Oh My Gache’s Every Christmas Story Ever Told, (And then some).
  • Pictured: Scott Riseborough during Oh My Gache’s rehearsal.
  • Pictured: (L) Jared Caine, and (R) Sam Totty, during Oh My Gache’s rehearsal.
  • Pictured: Although the cast is of only three, the fourth chair is for a member of the audience to help tell the story.
  • Pictured: (Foreground to Back), Aaron Nash, Stage Manager, Sophie Mahy, Director, and OMG founding member, Sydney Henley-Rousel, all have a hand in the staging of this years production.

The comedy script is memorable, and happily plays with quotes, icons, and references to a multitude of Christmas classics, while prodding at cemented cultural norms from across the globe. 

The performance leans towards interactive with the audience included, which grows the cast from the minimal troupe of three, with shout outs, heckles, and occasionally even a scripted sentence or two on stage. 

Jared Caine, one of the actors looking to bring the performance to life, said it’s been great fun working on it so far.

“Preparation is going well! We are all really close friends, which makes the rehearsal process a lot of fun. My favorite part to perform is definitely the game show, having a section with some audience participation really brings the show to life! 

“The audience should expect a lot of chaos, many different voices and a whole lot of Christmas!”

Like the best of amateur theatre in Guernsey, ‘Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and then some)’ is playful, fun, and treads the line between family friendly, with some adult humour (PG13), and it is loaded with local references.

Cast member, Sam Totty, said those in the audience should expect something a little different in their Christmas performance.

“I think we are preparing really well! We are now at the stage where we are just running it with props and costumes so we know how long we have to get changed between scenes.

“It’s a fun and comedic Christmas show it’s very different to shows you would normally watch during this time of year.”

Scott Riseborough emphasised the casts connection, and it’s impact on the performance.

“I’m so excited  because each rehearsal, we find more and more new ideas to deconstruct and process, which eventually becomes an asset to the scene in itself.

“This show ever so slightly changes each time we do it, and I could not be thankful for the people I work with, because you can’t do that without discipline and hard work, but with the guys at OMG, it’s quite literally a walk in the park.”

Sydney Henley-Roussel, a founding member of OMG, said this play is a great alternative to a traditional pantomime and she hopes people will give it a go.

“We have so many great companies putting on pantomimes, we wanted something a bit different. As a company, we enjoy this type of humour and working with a small cast is a good chance to explore new ideas.”

Ms Henley-Roussel continued: “We did something similar in the summer with Shakespeare and found it worked well for us. It’s also easier for us not having to choose just one story.”

Director Sophie Mahy said the performance comes off the back of their rendition of a twisted Shakespeare play earlier this year, with the audience resonating well with “monty-python-esque” humor.

“After Oh My Gâche Theatre’s successful inaugural performance earlier this year of ‘The Complete Works Of William Shakespeare (Abridged)’ we knew that we, and our audience, love the Monty Python-esque humour. ‘Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and then some!)’ has a similar vibe, but more jingle bells!”

Meanwhile Aaron Nash, the Stage Manager, said for him, the troupe’s chemistry is a highlight of the performance.

“The group of individuals involved makes it stand out as their chemistry is genuine and never feels forced.  This echoes through when watched by the audience and crew. They are infectious to watch and it’s hard to look away.

“It’s a fairly unique take on the standard Christmas play formula. It’s all the best things about Christmas without any of the fluff. The humor is also a beautiful blend of British sensibilities and modern characterisations.”

Daily performances start at 19.00 from Tuesday 25 to Saturday 29 November, with tickets costing £14. 

The venue is the Princess Royal Centre for Performing Arts, with an estimated run time of 90 minutes, and doors opening 30 minutes before curtain up. You can book tickets and find out more, through the States’ booking website HERE.