NOEL COWARD’S CHRISTMAS SIRITS St James Theatre

One of the most interesting songs is the satirical “Don’t Let’s Be Beastly to the Germans,” which caused such a furore in World War 2 when many people missed the point completely and thought Coward was actually being serious. Irony is always risky. Revues tend, inevitably, to be hit and miss and this revue is no exception. A really big mistake is the totally unnecessary introduction of Madame Arcati from Blithe Spirit. The war is sufficient context for the songs. Eleanor Farjeon’s song, “In the Week When Christmas Comes,” in which partygoers (performed by Stefan Bednarczyk, Issy van Randwyck and Charlotte Wakefield) get more and more inebriated, gets the biggest laughs and loudest applause.