A Boy Called Christmas review – Santa’s origin story should have more wonder than this

Chichester Festival theatre
A musical adaptation of Matt Haig’s children’s book is visually delightful and heroically performed by Chichester Festival Youth Theatre but the songs are humdrum

This origin story, about how Saint Nicholas came to be an arctic-dwelling gift-giver with an army of elves, began as a children’s book by Matt Haig that was turned into a star-studded fantasy film with appearances by Maggie Smith and Jim Broadbent. Now we have the stage adaptation, which puts to music the tale of young Nikolas.

Aged 11, he is marooned in grief and loneliness after his mother is killed by a bear and his father takes off on an expedition to the North Pole to find the fabled villages of the elves. Nikolas (Devon Sandell, performing on press night and full of energy) follows his father northwards with his pet mouse Miika (Olivia Dickens), to meet a reindeer called Blitzen (Alexander Solly), the Truth Pixie (Daisy Chapman), the elves, and a bevy of other fantastical creatures.