AD – This post reviews a PR visit to Little Fox’s Christmas Garden. Please see my Disclosure page for more details.
Little Fox’s Christmas Garden is a brilliant introduction to theatre for little ones and a lovely way to get into the spirit of the season. We were kindly invited to attend a showing at The Brook Theatre in Chatham and we thoroughly enjoyed our experience. Read on to find out what to expect during the production and our thoughts!
Little Fox’s Christmas Garden is the annual immersive theatre production at The Brook Theatre created in partnership with Icon Theatre, Play On Words Theatre Company and Loop Dance Company.
Exploring different rooms, each a different magical landscape in the story, you follow the journey of Little Fox, who has been entrusted with lifting the spell cast by the evil Queen to banish Christmas forever! With great levels of interaction between cast and children, as well as the chance for children to get involved in games and dancing (as well as being part of the final task to break the spell!), it’s a joyful experience for all.
The only question left is can Little Fox save Christmas in time?!
The recommended age for Little Fox’s Christmas Garden is 3-6, although the production will most likely be enjoyed by slightly older or younger children too.
The run time is approximately 1 hour, so please bare this in mind when booking tickets.
The production is at The Brook Theatre in Chatham. The full address is The Brook Theatre, 5 The Brook, Chatham, ME4 4SE.
There is a small amount of car parking directly behind the theatre but you’re likely not to get a space. There’s ample parking a very short walk away in the large multi-storey car park for The Pentagon Shopping Centre.
If you’re travelling by train, then Chatham train station is within walking distance of The Brook Theatre. There’s also plenty of bus routes that run to the Chatham Waterfront bus station which is a short walking distance to The Brook Theatre.
Little Fox’s Christmas Garden runs right up until Friday 24th December 2021, so there’s plenty of time to get your fox fix! There are showings at various times throughout the day, so whether you’re a morning or afternoon person there’s a showing for you.
Tickets start from only £8.00 for adults and £7.50 for children, so it’s an affordable choice for a festive day out this winter!
After recently attending (and loving!) The Hug by the Long Nose Puppets at The Woodville in Gravesend, I was so thrilled to be invited to experience Little Fox’s Christmas Garden with Arthur, my nearly 3 year old toddler.
Unfortunately upon arriving at The Brook Theatre in Chatham we were unable to get a car parking space in the small car park directly behind the theatre – luckily the Pentagon Shopping Centre had plenty of parking in the multi-storey car park and we had left in plenty of time!
After claiming our tickets at the Box Office, we made our way up the (rather large, rather impressive!) staircase and into a waiting room, where we found tables set out with colouring sheets of Little Fox and plenty of crayons. This was a very welcome addition – trying to entertain impatient and excited young children is a mission, so the fact this had been thought out meant we were in very good hands.
When the production was ready to begin we were ushered into a different room, which was set up as. a Christmassy book shop. We met Little Fox and Big Fox, who greeted the children as they settled in and sat on the floor in front of the set. I must admit, we were a bit nervous at this point to discover a large school group and nursery group of children also in attendance – Arthur was very overwhelmed (I’m not sure if he’s ever even seen that many children!), but we perched on the edge so I could sit next to him to provide him the comfort and reassurance he needed. After a short while, the school groups were absolutely no bother at all – they were all very well behaved – but it’s definitely something to be aware of. In hind sight, I actually think they encouraged Arthur to behave himself, as he followed them in suit!
During their antics in the bookstore, Little Fox and Big Fox accidentally summon a magical fairy who, through dance, inform them of a spell cast by the evil Queen to ban Christmas! You are then guided through different rooms, each as beautifully designed as the last, as Little Fox tries to lift the spell. Along the way you meet fun new characters – Arthur loved the second room, that’s all I’m going to say!
I wasn’t sure what to expect from ‘immersive theatre’ for children, but it was lovely and gentle, yet entertaining and captivating at the same time. The cast guide and teach the children small dances and actions so that they are truly part of the magical journey. Without spoiling the magic, all I can say is Arthur really enjoyed himself and has been reenacting some of the moves ever since our visit!
I want to give a special shout-out to Jade-Ashleigh Jeffrey who plays Little Fox – she was absolutely brilliant and a delight to watch!
Overall I would highly recommend Little Fox’s Christmas Garden to all local families with young children. We throughly enjoyed it, but most importantly my son loved it – and I loved watching his happy little engrossed face!
Thank you to The Brook Theatre, Icon Theatre, Play On Words Theatre Company and Loop Dance Company for creating such a beautiful piece of art for my son to enjoy this festive season. I already cannot wait to see what the annual production will be next year and look forward to this becoming a new Christmas tradition for our family!
PS – If you book tickets to Little Fox’s Christmas Garden off the back of my recommendation, please tag me in your photos on Instagram and use the hashtag #JodetopiaInKent and let me know!
Are you looking for other ways to entertain your children? Check out all of my guides of days out and Christmas recommendations!
