An Adagio Christmas, directed by Deborah Pope, Downstage Theatre, reviewed by Lynn Freeman

THIS is essentially the same adorable Adagio we saw and loved this time last year with a sprinkling of Christmas (until the miraculous finale).
Under Deborah Pope’s deft direction, this is subtle yuletide fare, but filled with wonder and magic, as Christmas was for us when Santa and his reindeer were real. (My neighbour’s son has just figured out this truth and it reminded me how sad that moment is).
There are small sadnesses within the stories told here, of the lonely dancer, of the man crammed into his tiny room and another obsessed with his TV.  As they emerge from their shells, there are plenty of laughs and gasps of wonder at the acrobatics and aerobatics.
Mason West and Rowan Heydon White are Circus Artists who are just astonishing, and Angela Green is just a joy to watch. I enjoyed seeing again Jenny MacArthur’s increasingly manic dance to a sports commentary and Asalemo Tofete hits the right note in performance and song.
If you haven’t seen it, go. If you have, it’s worth seeing again with the extra tinsel and snowdrops.