A Chinese Christmas (KXT on Broadway) ★★★

Written by Trent Foo. KXT on Broadway. 10-20 Dec, 2025.

Welcome to Christmas Eve in the Chinese Underworld, as Chinese-Australian Heepa (writer-actor Trent Foo) seeks advice and some magical help from his ancestors to ensure his blended Christmas goes off without a hitch. But the ancestors want something in return…

Told in an almost epistolary fashion, Heepa’s ancestors force him to tell stories of his relationship with his grandmother and his Paw Paw (Tiang Lim) in exchange for magical favours. As he does so, he is accompanied by — and occasionally menaced by — one of his oldest ancestors, Lady Dai (Jolin Jiang), who plays a variety of instruments to add both musical and live sound effects — an absolute highlight of the night.

Foo’s script is a cheerful blend of cultures, creating a unique Christmas experience. There are hints of classic Christmas tales such as Dickens’ A Christmas Carol in the play’s construction (imagine multiple Ghosts of Christmas Past raking through Heepa’s memories), some of which feel slightly redundant in the grand scheme of things. This is predominantly a character piece, not a plot-driven play, and it is in the small moments of Heepa’s relationship with his Paw Paw that the story progression occurs.

The script is translated to the stage through Monica Sayers’ confident direction. The storytelling is active and makes great use of the set, as Foo carefully rearranges the messy “underworld basement”. Cat Mai’s lighting does strong narrative work in establishing the tone of the underworld and guiding our attention. My absolute favourite part of the production, however, is the audio work — beautiful sound design by Cameron Smith, paired with live music composed and performed by Jolin Jiang.

Despite occasional lapses into overly arch delivery, there is great warmth in Foo’s stage presence, alongside the familiar strength of Tiang Lim’s performance as Heepa’s Paw Paw. His youthful exuberance and unearned confidence mix well with her quiet concern, and as the story builds and we come to understand their relationship more deeply, the play earns its heartfelt conclusion.

It all makes for a pleasantly entertaining look at the way our lives are shaped by those who raise us, and how our childhood eyes don’t always see the truth of a situation. At a swift 70-minute duration, A Chinese Christmas doesn’t overstay its welcome, delivering a Christmas message of love, loss, and family in a way you’ve probably not seen before.