A review of To Be Near A Shooting Star at Unity Theatre from La Vida reader Kevin Eccleston….
To Be Near a Shooting Star is a thoughtful, quietly uplifting addition to the festive season — a production that opts for emotional honesty rather than spectacle, and in doing so, finds a tone that feels both contemporary and genuinely meaningful. What initially appears to be a gentle Christmas story gradually becomes something more layered: a meditation on belonging, resilience, and the small acts of care that bind communities together.
The narrative centres on M and J, two travellers navigating an unfamiliar landscape in search of refuge. Their journey is intentionally simple, almost archetypal, yet the performances imbue it with a grounded realism. Instead of leaning on sentimentality or theatrical exaggeration, the pair communicate through measured gestures, shared glances, and moments of stillness that say more than dialogue ever could. These choices allow their bond — tentative at first, then increasingly rooted in mutual trust — to emerge in a way that feels natural, unforced, and deeply human.
Unity Theatre’s collaboration with RAWD (Realise Another World of Difference) results in a Christmas production that actively resists cliché. Rather than relying on the familiar tropes of seasonal fare, To Be Near a Shooting Star blends light-hearted humour with a purposeful exploration of connection and identity. The script provides warmth without drifting into saccharine territory, maintaining a balance between optimism and honesty that gives the show its emotional credibility.
Providing the comic counterweight are three kings whose pilgrimage is marked not by the gravitas of wisdom but by an endearing, almost gleeful ineptitude. Their antics inject the production with a playful, pantomime-adjacent energy, offering moments of levity that contrast with the quieter emotional beats of M and J’s storyline. Yet the humour never feels overplayed. Beneath the silliness lies a gentle reminder about humility, the unpredictability of guidance, and the idea that insight often arrives from unlikely places.
One of the production’s most distinctive strengths is its ensemble, composed of differently abled artists who are central to RAWD’s mission. Their presence is not tokenistic nor ornamental; each performer brings a unique texture to the piece, whether through physicality, timing, or an unexpected interpretive choice. This diversity of performance styles enriches the overall storytelling, grounding the show’s theme of community in lived experience. To Be Near a Shooting Star does not merely gesture toward inclusivity — it embodies it with sincerity and pride.
Visually, the production walks a careful line between festive brightness and aesthetic restraint. Sparkling lights, soft pastel tones, and thoughtful scenic details evoke the spirit of the season without overwhelming the more intimate moments onstage. The lighting design in particular is notable for its sensitivity: it shifts fluidly between exuberance and contemplation, subtly guiding the audience’s emotional journey. Scenes that might otherwise feel minimal become rich with mood and texture thanks to these deliberate visual choices.
What ultimately elevates the show is its clarity of purpose. RAWD’s commitment to platforming differently abled performers is not an add-on or an afterthought; it is woven into the fabric of the production, informing everything from staging to narrative structure. The result is a piece of theatre that is warm, engaging, and fundamentally human — a reminder of the power of performance to bring people together and challenge assumptions about who gets to take up space onstage.
To Be Near a Shooting Star stands as a refreshing alternative to more commercial Christmas offerings. It entertains, certainly, but it also invites its audience to pause, reflect, and consider the values of community, kindness, and belonging. In a season so often dominated by noise and excess, the show’s quiet sincerity may be its greatest gift.
