The Corstorphine Road Nativity

This Christmas, the little star of Bethlehem will hover above the Edinburgh Festival Theatre as their comedy The Corstorphine Road Nativity is quietly born.

Based on a school nativity, Tim Firth’s show was first aired on television in 1999 and then adapted for the stage; this production has been created exclusively for EFT. Set in the fictional “Corstorphine Road” Primary School, it blends local humour with just the right amount of mayhem, jealousy and mishaps as adult actors play their P3 selves.

Edinburgh born Steven McNicoll will be playing both the Star and the Ass while Sara Crowe (Four Weddings & A Funeral) will be playing the Angel Gabriel “but is obsessed with playing the Virgin Mary”. This tension is sure to give rise to plenty of laughs as Crowe looks forward to playing a child and “being able to express exactly what you’re feeling, with no adult editing”.

Described as “a good night out for all the family” and one that will “remind you of a time in your life when things were much simpler”, The Corstorphine Road Nativity is just the antidote to the recession blues.

For those children getting ready for their stage debut in front of their parents, Steven McNicoll has the just the right advice: “Know the jokes and don’t bump into the furniture, blow your nose and check your flies”. It’s likely this advice won’t halt the ensuing mayhem, but it will make the show more enjoyable. [Susannah Redford]