Created by Adrenalism Theatre

Know your blockchains from your NFT? Us neither. But don’t fret – Warren and Shaw are here to help us: armed with tailored cuts and some handy-dandy props, the pair aim to equip us with the necessary tools to make our millions, get a step above the competition, and along the way, impart the true meaning of the festive season.

The true meaning of Christmas is, apparently, no longer love. Nor is it strictly commerce, a surprising admission from the suited and booted corporate cut-outs, here to entice us into parting with our old ways and embracing the new-fangled world of crypto. It’s a world which has made some exceedingly rich and others exceptionally unlucky. Christmas is about our new family, all of us together, sharing in the wealth of crypto under the guiding hand of our clued-in(?) insiders of the digital finance scape in this presentation-pitch/therapy session.

Without anything in the way of special effects, sorry, except for the no-expense-spared star curtain, there’s this superb lo-fi aura to the entire show that stems from the sound design and general vibe and manner of movement. It feels analogue in a world of digital, a nice twist given the production’s contemporary topic around digital finance. It’s one step from static lines running up and down the stage – furthered by the colour choices in suits and highly physical use of comedy and staging.

Interactive, the audience is invited to call and engage in this close-to-the-bone chaotic affair, which occasionally loses its way amidst the fun it so readily exudes. They get to grips with a literal blockchain for hilarious physical comedy and make A Very Crypto Christmas one of the few times where interaction feels like a blessing rather than a curse. From audience votes, a spot of karaoke, and some buzzword callouts, it’s a show where the audience involvement is integral to the progression of the show. A clever use of chocolate coins as cryptocurrency suggests a smarter level which takes a side turn into the absurdist theatre –a letdown of expectation in the dangerous gamble of crypto, but a nice twist for those who didn’t eat their coins on entry (guilty).

So keep a hold of these coins, as tempting as the sugar-hit might be, the gamble involved (and the violent outcome) is worth holding onto these tokens of capitalist branding. It comes with a shift into the chaotic television of Live & Kicking or SMTV Live. It makes for a successful end to a day spent at Summerhall’s Big Christmas Weekend, one where anarchic physical and street theatre collides with the corporate world of edutainment in this festive Festival Fringe-esque variety performance which brings us all together to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. Whatever the hell that may be for you. Come for the crypto tips, stay for the chocolate and karaoke: A Very Crypto Christmas captures all the festive buzz that an alternative to Dickens or The Snowman could ask for.

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