The Pixie and the Pudding

The Pixie and the Pudding might seem at first like a simple festive story with a tantalising title. It has a pixie, it has a pudding, it has an endearing old farmer, and a host of cuddly farm animals brought to life via Lyndie Wright’s signature puppet designs and Barb Jungr’s colourful music score.

At its heart, however, is the question of tradition versus innovation and, by extension, genuine love versus personal gain, which is raised in a charming new way.

What happens when a happy and fecund farm receives some new owners, and how long will it take before the new guard accepts the need to do things according to tradition?

Barb Jungr and Samantha Lane’s new play about the vital significance of feeding your pixies Christmas pudding hints at the folkloric – Scandinavian – origins of this story, although Lane’s production is delivered with timeless urban cool that captivates and transports, rather than patronising the audience.

She is helped in this by an excellent pair of actor-puppeteers, Gilbert Taylor and Nix Wood, whose technical finesse on both fronts is utterly spellbinding.

The spell is only broken in the very last number, when the actors step forward to get the audience singing and clapping, but even this is in keeping with folkloric tradition.