REVIEW: HARRY’S CHRISTMAS by Steven Berkoff at King’s Head Theatre until 24 December 2022

‘a deeply empathetic and sensitive performance by Stephen Smith’ ★★★★

Harry seems to quite enjoy Christmas. He’s decorated a tree, proudly displays his cards and wears a series of jaunty, festive sweaters. On the surface, we see the twinkle of fairy lights and sheen of greeting cards. It’s a Christmas we recognise, one that’s mirrored in the pub on the other side of the wall and pretty streets outside. But this is not a happy time for Harry. In fact, it’s emotionally and psychologically challenging and, while children up and down the land can barely contain their excitement at the Christmas countdown, for Harry who sits alone to contemplate the sum of his life, Christmas, the mother of all inciting incidents, represents an unbearably big build up to one massive let down.

This may sound a bit gloomy, a bit existentially heavy and agreed, it’s not exactly Christmas on Ice or a jolly pantomime, but Harry’s Christmas is a festive show worth seeing. It offers audiences a deeply empathetic and sensitive performance by Stephen Smith who presents us with a thoroughly decent sort of character, one who doesn’t store axes in his closet or hold abhorrent political views, so why should he, someone with a job, his own place, a mother and six Christmas cards (not including the one from the insurance company) be lonely? Why hasn’t he got any friends or someone to cuddle up with? Why hasn’t he kept up with the few friendships he had? Originally written by Steven Berkoff, theatre’s original Mr Angry, the themes the play tackles, are as relevant now as they ever were.

The relentlessly joyful commercials and societies insistence on togetherness and fun rubs salt into the open wounds of, ‘those without families, separated, bereaved or just congenitally introverted…Christmas exposes…an exaggerated sense of worthlessness’ writes Berkoff. According to Berkoff, this is the one play that he wrote that draws the most personal responses from audience members and ironically, it is by witnessing Harry’s emotional journey, vicariously or otherwise, that we might feel less alone or at least give air to feelings that are akin to a desperate, stigmatised affliction. To even utter the words, ‘I am lonely’ can be a source of shame and there’s nothing like Christmas to stir up these feelings.

The lack of conversation with other humans, means Harry’s inner monologue, that the audience is privy to, becomes increasingly louder throughout the 70-minute performance. Harry is haunted by feelings of inadequacy, failure, self-doubt and guilt and even though it was written in pre-Internet days, communication technology is a very present, from a mind-numbing blue light of a television set in a darkened room or a phone on which it might be possible to connect with other humans. If part of theatre is about creating emphatic experiences and a space to articulate deep feelings, the play ironically, shows we are not alone in feeling lonely. This play is working alongside CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) to heighten awareness of the facts that 125 individuals take their own lives every week and that 75% of these are men. Loneliness is an inciting incident. Harry’s Christmas was originally performed at the Donmar Warehouse (1985).

Presented by Threedumb Theatre

HARRY’S CHRISTMAS by Steven Berkoff

King’s Head Theatre 6 - 24 December 2022

Book tickets: https://kingsheadtheatre.com/whats-on/harrys-christmas/book

Cast and creatives:

Harry - Stephen Smith

Sound Designer and Composer – Julian Starr

Director - Scott Le Crass

Reviewed by Nilgin Yusuf

An experienced author, lecturer and journalist (ex-Sunday Times, Daily Telegraph and ELLE) Nilgin is developing her first full-length stage play, supported by Mrs.C’s Collective and the Arts Council