A SUMPTUOUS AND SPIRITED FARCE

Released just in time for Christmas festivities, this twinkly-eyed revival of Sir Arthur Wing Pinero's 1885 farce has charm and laughs aplenty. Starring the Emmy Award-winning actor John Lithgow as the hapless magistrate of the title, the highly stylized production proves a joyful and light-hearted romp, paying homage to the buffoonery of the original whilst captivating modern audiences.

The Magistrate revels in its own spectacle; extravagantly mad hairstyles and liquorice all-sort costumes burn the retina as they pay to homage to Tim Burton's kooky Gothic sensibilities. The stage design also embraces absurdity with its 2D abstract cityscapes that spin and fold like cartoons amidst the abundant chintz.

WHAT IS THE MAGISTRATE ABOUT?

With a louche air and alarmingly-adult taste for drink, smoking, gambling and women, the supposedly 14-year old Cis Farringdon has a penchant for hell raising that belies his youth - unbeknownst to him, he is actually 19 years old. This is due to his mother Agatha who shaved more than a few years off both their ages to ensnare her husband, the hapless magistrate Posket.

However, the deception looks to be exposed when Posket invites an old school friend to dinner - this friend turns out to be none other than Cis' godfather! Agatha decides to warn him and things take an inevitably chaotic turn when she discovers Cis has taken Posket on an impromptu and hedonistic night out at the same hotel in which Cis' godfather is staying.