Merry Manarchy at Unity Theatre
Demi Sheridan, Editorial AssistantBook now
Merry Manarchy
Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.
Comedy, acrobatics, drag and even the odd puppet are joining the party this December. The Mersey Kings are bringing festive mayhem to Unity Theatre with Merry Manarchy, a production of Christmas chaos.
Queer and non-Binary artists take centre stage, The Merseyside Kings are here with masculine mischief and machismo under the mistletoe. While this is a theatre show, The Kings have clearly lost the plot, among other things, namely their trousers. Some people say Christmas isn’t about the presents, which is good news because they have lost those too.
Merry Manarchy is a Christmas show in disarray, ridiculous yet fabulous
What is Christmas all about anyway? That thought seems to have escaped the minds of these performers, probably somewhere between chestnuts and chest hair. Peace on earth? Party Hats? Power ballads? Who knows? This is a Christmas show nonetheless, but not as you know it. Merry Manarchy is a Christmas show in disarray, ridiculous yet fabulous.
Throughout the evening, The Kings strut, stumble and occasionally strip their way through falling snow. There is glitter, attitude and unapologetic chaos on this gloriously camp quest for clarity on the meaning of Christmas.
Unity Theatre’s intimate space makes the perfect playground for this kind of joyful mayhem. You’re watching the show, but you also feel part of it. Merry Manarchy is kitsch, bold and proudly butch-in-a-bauble – a must-see for fans of alternative Christmas shows.
It’s festive nonsense of the highest order, when the Kings forget Christmas, Monarchy rules, and all the better for it.
