Theatre / Christmas
‘We can’t guarantee you won’t go home having sung a song about oral sex and choccy logs’
“Dust off your baubles, prepare your nuts to be cracked and let your christingle be tingled,” say Shesus & The Sisters, the team behind The Gift of Presents, coming to the Spielman Theatre at the Tobacco Factory Theatres this month.
Here are Shesus, Sister Mary Berry and Sister Pauline Hollywood to tell us more:
First of all, please tell us who you are and a bit about Shesus and the Sisters?
“‘Shesus is your multi-gender Missiah reincarnation. The Sisters are genuine twins. Together they are here to heal you.’ That’s our strapline anyway, but to pad that out, we are three performers who have been working together for six years. The Sisters are proper actors and dancers, and Shesus is a trained Fool. We all pull from the worlds of comedy, cabaret, drag and the clown and have an interest in how humans live a spiritual life. We’re in our mid-30s, we own nothing and have no hard skills.”
Shesus and the Sisters. Pic: Giles Smith
What can we expect from the show?
“We reckon this show is the best church service/Christmas party you could ever go to. You’ll sing, dance, meet people and get a mince pie for your pleasure. But, as is the nature of life, it’s not all fun and games. A chunk of the show is about the state of the world and our own mental health, which ain’t so pretty.”
Is it for the faint-hearted?
“All hearts welcome, but we can’t guarantee you won’t go home having sung a song about oral sex and choccy logs.”
Are you looking forward to coming to Bristol for the first time?
“No, we’re terrified. We’ve heard avocado eaters and waistcoat wearers are taking over. Seriously though, we proper like these parts, have loads of mates here and are totally chuffed to be asked to bring our show The Gift of Presents to the Tobacco Factory. It’s a super place.”
What is the true meaning of Christmas for you?
“Connection, birth and remembering that gold is a better gift than myrrh.”
What’s the best Christmas present that you’ve ever been given?
Shesus: “I was born with an extra finger which was removed on Christmas Eve. That was the start of a lifetime of curiosities and for that, I’d lose another digit.”
Sister Mary Berry: “My National Trust membership and a scarf I’d been waiting my whole life for.”
Sister Pauline Hollywood: “Still waiting for it.”
What’s your favourite thing about Christmas?
“Cliff Richard.”
The Gift of Presents from Shesus & The Sisters is at the Spielman Theatre from December 7-30. For tickets and more information, visit www.tobaccofactorytheatres.com/shows/the-gift-of-presents
is needed now More than ever
Read more: The Great Big B24/7 2018 Christmas Theatre Roundup
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