The Gift, a dinner show where the guests steer the night, returns to Hove

The Gift, The Old Market’s¹ festive dinner show, is back after last year’s season. It runs from Wednesday 2 December to Wednesday 23 December at the Hove venue, with 22 performances.

Each night is part shared supper, part live show, with cabaret artists, musicians and clowns. What happens depends on who turns up. Guests can join in or sit back and watch. Brighton and Hove News³, which reported the return on Tuesday, says it is inspired by Berlin’s Social Muscle Club, Burning Man and Colombia’s Theatre of the Senses.

The food is by Circa, and the dishes are meant to be shared around the table. The standard menu lists pulled roasted pork, winter roots casserole and blood orange semifreddo among them. The other menu, which is vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free, has a blue pumpkin, beetroot and lion’s mane stroganoff. You choose your menu when you book, and the venue says it can’t cater for any other dietary needs.

Most performances start at 7.30pm. There are 1.30pm shows on 4, 11, 12, 18 and 19 December, 5.30pm shows on 6, 13 and 20 December, and the last night starts at 6.30pm. The opening show runs for two and a half hours.

Seats are at unreserved cabaret tables. Tickets cost £47.50 with dinner, there is no booking fee, and companion tickets are £23.75. Groups of 12 or more get a discount at checkout. The 7.30pm show on Saturday 12 December has already sold out.