Get Santa! **** TNT

Ever wished it could be Christmas every day? You certainly won’t by the end of Anthony Neilson’s imaginative seasonal offering in which stroppy 10 year old Holly (Imogen Doel making her professional stage debut) decides to hijack Santa because, year after disappointing year, he’s ignored her Christmas wish to find her real dad.

Angry as a wasp in her stripy yellow and black jumper, she’s determined to confront him and hatches an elaborate plan which involves blocking the chimney with a sleeping bag, a crisp-covered carpet (she’ll hear the crunch when he drops through the skylight), glue on the mantelpiece and a great big bucket.

Of course, things don’t go quite as expected and she ends up with Santa’s son (Tom Godwin’s gangling Bumblehole in bright elf-green) tied to the tree with tinsel, an increasingly malevolent teddy bear with a Russian accent masquerading as her father, and a Groundhog situation in which no sooner has Christmas day ended than it starts all over again.

Though aimed at 7- 11 year olds, there’s more than enough here to entertain teens and adults too. Neilson (who also directs) and co-writer Nick Powell (who provided the songs) have added some nicely inventive touches: Holly’s stepdad is a dog (her mum turns out to have a bit of a thing for furry animals) - when he takes himself off for a walk he makes sure he’s got a plastic poop bag stuffed in his trouser pocket, and he’s decked the tree with sausages and bacon.

Grumpy Santa is on the verge of retirement, and this is surely the first time in its history that a toy teddy (with a life of its own, thanks to puppeteer Chand Martinez) has had a starring role at the Royal Court.

Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, SW1W 8AS Tube: Sloane Square (020 7565 5000) royalcourttheatre.com
Until 15th January £12-£25 (under 16’s £8 - £12.50)