TWO theatre companies will share the magic of Christmas as they each stage family plays in church.

Debbie Sutton as Herodias with Desmond the camel in Angel at Large

Both plays will explore the story of the Nativity for children and adults with a mixture of skilful puppetry, powerful story-telling and knockabout comedy.

Top Cat Theatre Company will stage ‘Angel at Large’ by Nigel Forde at St Jude’s Church, Kent Road, in Southsea, each night from December 20-22. The company is made up of Christians from churches across the Portsmouth area.

Their play tells the story of Auriel, a humble angel who is given the biggest task heaven has ever seen – to prepare the way for God to live on Earth for a while. On the way she meets a spoilt king, a scheming queen, two daft soldiers and a map-eating camel called Desmond, who is owned by one of the three wise men.

Desmond last appeared in a Top Cat production four years ago when he was one of the stars of ‘Melchior’s Magical Mystery Quest’. It toured churches across south-east Hampshire, and was seen by more than 1,000 people.

Director Neil Pugmire said: “Angel at Large was our first full-length play 15 years ago, and we thought it was time to revive it. It was also time to let Desmond out of his stable again as he loves people, especially if they’re carrying anything edible.

“The play combines elements of slapstick and pantomime, but ultimately helps adults and children understand something of the risk God was taking in choosing to be born as a vulnerable child.”

The one-hour show will appeal to children aged five and above. Tickets are priced at £5 for adults, £3 for children, or £12 for a family ticket (two adults and two children). They are available on 023-9275 0442 or office(at)stjudes-southsea.org.uk.

Previous Top Cat Theatre Company shows include ‘The Screwtape Letters’ by CS Lewis, an adaptation of ‘What’s So Amazing About Grace?’ by Philip Yancey and the family Christmas show ‘Scrub That Manger!’. For details, see www.topcattheatre.com.

A few days later, Riding Lights Theatre Company will visit St John’s Church in Rowlands Castle to present ‘Nearly the Goat’. Like ‘Angel at Large’, this family Christmas play was also written by Nigel Forde.

It will be staged at 7pm on December 27, and tells an unforgettable version of the Nativity story using an extraordinary range of puppetry skills. Will Nearly the Goat in his DIY travelling machine reach Bethlehem before the wolf does? Will this night of all nights end in disaster, or will the cheerful, interrupting goat save the day?

Tickets cost £6 for adults, £4 for children and £20 for families. They are available on 023-9241 011 from 9am-1pm on normal working days, or from Carol Milford on 023-9241 2321 or carolmilford(at)btinternet.com.

Riding Lights Theatre Company is the UK’s premier Christian theatre company, and is based in York. Originally formed in 1977, previous shows have included ‘Origins and Lemons’ (performed in St Mary’s, Fratton, in 2009), ‘African Snow’ (about the abolition of the slave trade), Shakespeare’s ‘The Winter’s Tale’ and Jerome’s ‘Three Men in a Boat’. For more information, see: www.ridinglights.org.