The brief for the National Gallery's festive show is intriguing: A story set in the imagined world of a painting by Dutch artist Hendrick Avercamp (1585-1634) who was famous for depicting winter landscapes with people skating on frozen lakes.
A Winter Scene with Skaters Near A Castle is the jumping off point for Boo Productions' somewhat underpowered family show - pitched firmly at under eights.
Our two child heroes sensible Frederick and feisty Maaike get lost in the frozen forest on Christmas Eve and meet a Narnia-esque foe whose magic has made it forever winter. They meet a forgetful squirrel, a bullish badger, and a wise deer, tell some groan-worthy jokes, and sing some jolly songs.
There's not much jeopardy - the baddie is clearly a wimp, and Father Christmas soon turns up to make sure the duo make it home. But the costumes are eye-catching, Edward Court's original songs are catchy, and young children will relish getting up close to Santa.
Writer/director Francesca Renee Reid chooses straightforward, simple storytelling that springs few surprises and perhaps underestimates her young audience.
The best children's theatre uses just as inventive dramatic techniques as for adult audiences, merely tempering the subject matter.
This feels like a lost opportunity for a tale inspired by a painting, performed in an art gallery. She might for example have put the artist in the picture; the non-verbal and probably deaf Avercamp sounds as though he warrants a drama all to himself.
A Picture Perfect Christmas runs on selected dates in The National Gallery's Sainsbury Wing theatre until December 23. https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/whats-on/picture-perfect-christmas
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