Sexy Ghost of Xmas Boy is an absurd, interactive spectacle that puts you to work.

If the classic holiday show is a well-wrapped present, then George Fenn’s Sexy Ghost of Xmas Boy is a chaotic workshop where you’re handed the scissors and tape. Billed as a wordless comedy fusing clown and burlesque, this genre-bending experience from Ōtautahi’s George Fenn (he/she/they) is undeniably creative and often hilarious. However, potential audiences should be aware: this is an intensely interactive show where ‘audience participation’ isn’t a feature; it’s the foundation.

Produced by Anne Cunliffe (she/her), the show’s ambition is clear from the moment you arrive. Forget passive viewing; you’re immediately enlisted to build the set, wrap presents and hang tinsel under George’s silent, mimed direction. This clever prelude sets a charmingly bizarre tone but also serves as a soft launch for the show’s core mechanic: you are the cast.

And you are used extensively. Throughout the wordless narrative – which involves a sexy mouse, a wrestling Santa and inexplicable beer pong – audience members are directly conscripted to play elves, Christmas trees and scene partners, sometimes for extended stage time. George’s creativity in these scenarios is impressive, offering a truly unique role in a surreal story.

Yet, this is where the experience becomes a high-wire act, particularly for a New Zealand audience. George selects participants directly, rather than seeking volunteers. While some revel in the spotlight, the execution often leaves others (and us watching) a bit confused. Instructions are minimal, cues are unclear, and participants are sometimes corrected or restarted when they diverge from an unseen plan. The philosophy seems less about ‘yes, and-ing’ the audience’s contributions and more about directing them precisely, which can be tricky when your cast hasn’t seen the script.

This highlights a significant point for potential ticket-buyers. Many avoid comedy for fear of being ‘picked on’, and while George is lovely and never cruel, the show is entirely constructed around pulling patrons into the action. Although the promotional material describes the show as ‘interactive’, nothing prepares you for the sheer scale of involvement required. For a show this dependent on crowd work, a clearer upfront signal would be a courtesy, allowing audiences to knowingly opt into the experiment.

Despite this, the show’s absurdist heart is winning. The physical comedy is sharp, the commitment to the bit is total, and the sheer novelty of the spectacle is captivating. I laugh a lot and leave buzzing from the strangeness of it all.

Sexy Ghost of Xmas Boy is a fascinating, funny and frankly bizarre piece of alternative theatre. George Fenn is a compelling and creative performer. However, consider this your explicit warning: if the idea of being non-voluntarily summoned on stage for extended, unscripted participation fills you with dread, this is not your show. But for the theatrically brave and the interactively curious looking for a Christmas experience like no other, this ghostly workshop might just be your perfect (and perfectly absurd) night out.

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