upfront
Cardiff Christmas Festival brings a tent-ful of variety to the Castle
Opening its doors – er, tent flaps? – at the end of November, Cardiff Castle’s first Christmas Festival still has three very different shows on the books for merrimakers to sample. Ewa Pałka sizes up what’s to come and catches the buzz from one of the stars (not Madonna, but not far off…).
It’s almost the end of the year, and Cardiff is getting ready to ensure that
Shimmering lights illuminate the streets, the annual German-themed Christmas Market spreads along Cardiff city centre’s streets, and Winter Wonderland is nestled in place at the capital’s heart. But that’s not all.
this season – that’d be Christmas – is a truly unique one.
This year, one more attraction is open in Cardiff Castle’s grounds under a decorative Spiegeltent (magic mirror): a transportable Belgian cabaret and music tent made of wood, velvet and leaded glass. The round structure, which is an attraction in itself, houses a dinner theatre-style interior for audiences to be fed, watered and entertained amid the 19th- century hedonistic glamour of a Flemish salon.
Already a staple of Bristol’s cultural nightlife, hosting everything from children’s parties to drag shows to World Cup fan hubs, Cardiff’s own iteration of this enormous travelling tent hosts three shows throughout its stay at the Castle: The Nutcracker (which ran in late November), Castellana and Santa’s Wish [pictured]. As the round shape of the tent situates the stage right in the middle with only 570 seats around it, it’s an intimate setting you won’t get at most other venues this winter.
The more adult-oriented of the trio, Castellana, is a blend of cabaret, comedy and burlesque, set in a “magical, mythical world filled with intrigue and suspense”. It’s also getting its world premiere at the Castle, if you’re swayed by exclusives, and will run for a full month from the start of December to January. The variety show will feature a wealth of different performers flying overhead and dancing through the round, one of which is notable cabaret star, Didi Derriere.
Getting her start in London in 2015 and scooping up a top award within the year, Didi specialises in fan dances, 1920s New Orleans-style bump and grind, and even a Madonna tribute. Her tantalising talents have taken her all over Europe, but never to Wales before.
Speaking about Castellana, she describes the show as “a combination of circus and love story. It always feels like the energy inside the show tent is electric – everybody has their take and personality and character,
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so the dressing rooms are always so fun, warm and supportive.” The prospect of travelling to places she’s never been before for work, like Cardiff, also really excites her. “I feel really privileged to be able to go and do this as a job. I always love talking about burlesque to people who never seen this before.”
Christmas classic The Nutcracker opened the festival at the end of November with five dates. Following its initial run last year and once again, one of many versions of the Tchaikovsky favourite popping up in Wales and beyond over the season, this was “ballet with a Welsh twist” – Uncle Idris, Bop Sheila and Bopa Linda and The Mari Lwyd being among its cast of characters, choreographed by Jamiel Laurence to include snowfights and avalanching.
Still to come, however, is the similarly family-friendly musical Santa’s Wish, running throughout December. The premise is your classic ‘stuck Santa’ fare: when Saint Nick’s magic sleigh crashes, it’s up to a Christmas Elf called Snowflake, a ‘Magical Wish Jar’ – and the audience, of course – to help him get up and running again.
Whether you treat yourself to a bit of naughtiness this Christmas at Castellana or enjoy a more chaste time at Santa’s Wish, the debut of Cardiff Christmas Festival covers most tastes – but the inside of that Fortuna Spiegeltent may be worth the price of admission alone, no matter what you choose to see.
Castellana, Cardiff Castle, Fri 2 Dec-Sun 8 Jan. Tickets: £20.82-£29.32
Santa’s Wish, Cardiff Castle, Fri 2-Sat 24 Dec. Tickets: £7.50-£30 Info:
thecastle.wales
5 tickets to Castellana, Tues 24 Dec, 7.30pm. Scan to enter
WIN:
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