Living Spit return to Bath’s Ustinov Studio to present The Late-ivity

The Late-ivity takes to the stage at Bath’s Ustinov Studio on Monday 10th and Tuesday 11th January. The mistletoe may be manky and the tinsel may be tired, but the ever reliable Living Spit will be delivering the same cornucopia of comic Christmassy crudeness that they did on tour in December. Only this time it’s got a slightly different title. And they’re doing it in January.

Image - Stu Mcloughlin and Howard Coggins in The Late-ivity

With a couple of perfunctory tweaks to the script and literally a few minutes of re-rehearsal, they’ve managed to make it appear that they’ve put loads of thought into it, whilst actually doing barely any work as they bring their hugely popular Christmas comedy for grown-ups, The Nativity, to Bath.

Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. A donkey, a camel and a new born lamb. A tiny baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a makeshift bed in a dilapidated farmyard outbuilding. But enough about what Stu bought Howard for Christmas. After their triumphant take on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Living Spit are back to tackle the second greatest Christmas story ever told. Recommended for over 16s and not for the faint-hearted, audiences can expect the usual mix of silly songs, pitiful puppetry and more Biblical befuddlement than you can shake a figgy pudding at. 

The Late-ivity stars Howard Coggins and Stu Mcloughlin who, as well as touring the UK with Living Spit, have between them performed in a wide range of productions on stage at Bristol Old Vic, Salisbury Playhouse, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Lyric Hammersmith, Newbury’s Watermill and toured with theatre companies including Kneehigh and the National Theatre. On screen, Howard has appeared in TV programmes including Waking the Dead, Law and Order, Sherlock, Doc Martin, Doctors and Casualty, whilst Stu has appeared in Clone, Little Dorritt, Waking the Dead and The Outlaws, and is the Musical Director and Composer for Shanty Theatre Company.

Based in Clevedon, Somerset, Living Spit’s previous hugely popular shows include The Six Wives of Henry VIII, A Christmas Carol, Frankenstein and The Fabulous Bacon Boys.

The Late-ivity appears at the Ustinov Studio on Monday 10th and Tuesday 11th January. Tickets are on sale at the Theatre Royal Bath Box Office on 01225 448844 and online at www.theatreroyal.org.uk/ustinov