Directed by Valen Shore and Alison Zatta

Review by Annie Aslett

It’s *NSYNC-themed A Christmas Carol – you’d be forgiven for entering with a sense of trepidation. But worry not. This original musical is a classic example of a ‘brilliantly bonkers show you would only catch at the Fringe’. Boyband knowledge is desirable (in order for you to live a happy and fulfilled life) but definitely not essential to enjoy Chriskirkpatrickmas.

Chris Kirkpatrick, founding member of *NSYNC, is our Scrooge in this production, but less Bye Bye Bah Humbug, more washed-up D-lister reminiscing about the good old days before *NSYNC went on an indefinite hiatus. Played brilliantly earnestly by Valen Shore (co-creator of the show and owner of some terrific faux bushy brows), Chris is the band’s biggest and only proponent of an *NSYNC reunion tour. After 3 noes and a no-show from JT, Chris is visited by the “Ghost of Marky-Mark from the 90s” (Alison Zatta, co-creator) to convince our hero to reinvent himself and move on. Marky-Mark’s Boston accent occasionally takes a hiatus of its own, but Zatta’s likeability and commitment to the role more than made up for it.

It’s fair to assume that many of the British members of the audience may not have been au fait with the name Chris Kirkpatrick before seeing the show, but the name Justin Timberlake will be unfamiliar to very few. Nicole Wyland plays the curly-haired heartthrob with so much sparkle and charisma that she’s sure to come away with some fangirls of her own (she has, it’s me). With a brilliant vocal, a hilarious but also kind-of-fantastic dance break and all the lip-biting and hip-thrusting that you could want, art imitates life imitates art here as Wyland’s performance is certainly the standout. 

The cast is rounded out by Elizabeth Ho, Mia-Carina Millicone, Emily Lambert and Riley Rose Critchlow; the latter of whom must get a shout-out for getting one of the biggest laughs of the night with some stellar background acting. Emily Lambert plays a deliciously devilish Lou Pearlman (former *NSYNC manager) in one of the show’s best numbers. While Wyland, Shore and Zatta get the meatier roles, the rest of the cast shine in their own moments and combine to create a very funny team, which makes the show an absolute hoot to watch. 

If you want more of these funny people post-Fringe, you can tune into their fictional reality show podcast Real Housewives of Dungeons and Dragons for more.