FringeReview UK 2025

Little Miss Christmas

Patti Boo Productions

Genre: Burlesque, Comedy, Contemporary, Costume, LGBTQ+ Theatre, LGBTQIA+, Mainstream Theatre, New Writing, Short Plays, Theatre

Venue: Southwark Playhouse Little Studio, Borough

Festival: FringeReview UK

Low Down

Review

For the sixth year running Patti Boo Rae is competing for the Candy Cane Crown and Little Miss Christmas title. And she expects to win it again as she always has. Usually there’s no hitch and no rival. Applications have closed. Patti Boo Rae starts with a handicap this time. Because  there’s a nightly guest (and later Dwayne steps up) to challenge her. Little Miss Christmas written by Coggin Galbreath (who shares Boo’s toothbrush) and directed by Ryan Hay runs at Southwark Playhouse’s Borough Little Studio till January 3.  With a brief trip to Newcastle’s Alphabetti  on 31 December.

There’s high hopes when the smooth mansplaining Americanese of the announcer about mobile phones is guyed and stopped, as Boo pops up. Little Miss Christmas is often about interaction – and lip-synching – with  pre-recorded material, including Boo herself. In fact exclusively with Boo bar a few voiceovers. There’s also great fun with two volunteers, a vote on the contest (too quickly counted), a secret CCTV that reveals skulduggery, and a heartwarming finale.

Much of the show builds the frenetic Boo’s persona as self-obsessed slinky and narcissistic. It promises to be funny. It’s a good idea to unravel a frantic ego-trip to an audience at first entranced by a good voice (Boo can sing when she wants, very well) to increasingly paranoid revelations about her rapacity, to the deadly possibility of a rival. Oh, and going down on the lap of Santa to a riotous ‘Santa Baby’.

When Dwayne appears it’s the interval. Afterwards Dwayne then struts his stuff revealingly with a “mating dance from the Philippines” where he states he’s from. There’s even an Arts Council diversity speech he gives faux-sheepishly. He’s delicious: and everyone says so with whoops and enthusiastic, um cheers.

There could have been far more interaction between these two, because Dwayne’s visibly up for it. The trouble is the descent of Boo to paranoia is too briefly handled to make a powerful impact. Yes it’s feelgood but the play might take more risks and make us care for the dark, and genuine fragility underlying many performers. The moment when Boo tells the audience she hates them marks a genuine frisson not developed. Of course there needs to be redemption. But we need a tiny bit of hell too. Not all of it can appear on CCTV.

The best sequence in TJmov’s well-shot and excellently presented pre-film material (some dark doing around Southwark Playhouse itself) is Boo’s attempt to sell vegan eggnog. Which tastes like. Well when you talk of needing a stiff one there’s only one place it can come to. It needs smart editing down though. Boo thanks TJmov at the end and they deserve their plaudits. Tech and production values are high, costume changes are slick. You might share Boo’s wardrobe if you’re lucky, especially if your shirt matches. Though Boo exits a bit too frequently to let the film play for another costume change (and sometimes for no change at all).

Though the show has been split to 40 and 30 and runs crisply and on time, it’s really a fringe show with an interval for Southwark’s bar’s sake. (It should be added the outstandingly vibrant Cockfosters in the Large runs straight through in 70 minutes and seems to positively encourage drinking!). The interval itself though is perfectly placed with the sudden appearance of Dwayne.

Despite well-placed props in TJmov’s fine minimal set, there something naked about Boo’s show that has nothing to do with stripping (oh, did I mention that?). It’s easy to pick flaws and this is Christmas. And to be mordantly witty at the artist’s expense. That’s wrong, in this case wrong-headed. With such production values and support, with such a premise, a fine presence and singing voice, the single chief fault is the gossamer-thin material. As it stands this is pure Brighton Fringe; we Brighton folk are used to just this kind of show. Little Miss Christmas needs a thorough overhaul, especially when this is Southwark, not the Fringe, and a superb show (The Grim) just preceded this one with only 13 performances. Not a Christmas show but certainly with more spirit. Literally.

Little Miss Christmas can develop and the disciplined running shows its professionalism: and Boo has presence and the outrageous talent you need in a fringe show of this kind. Added to which it doesn’t outstay its welcome. And “All I Want for Christmas” is hugely popular with everyone who sings it. It needs that kind of power throughout, delivered by Boo and her admirably-plussed one.

Published December 13, 2025 by Simon Jenner