A MAGICAL Christmas musical at Aberystwyth Arts Centre is provided by the Arts Centre’s Community Theatre Company with “The Little Match Girl” which opened last night (Thursday, December 21).

There are more performances of the uplifting and moving, musical play tonight and at 2 and 7.30pm on Saturday, December 23.

Set in London at Christmas 1880, and with a cast made up of more than 40 children, teenagers and adults, the show has drama, comedy, dance and, catchy, lyrically rich songs to combine to tell the captivating story and capture the seasonal mood of joy, caring and friendship.

The show includes the seasonal classic ‘Mistletoe and Wine’ and mixes comedy and social comment in equal measure.

Director, Barbara Hogger said: “This is a special Christmas show. It has a fast moving, lively story, lots of incident, some show stopping songs and magnificent dance sequences.

“We are particularly pleased with the achievements of our cast of young street urchins and their energetic, expressive performances. We have the excellent input of our musical director, Andrew Cusworth and our choreographer Sally Saunders, as well as the inspiring creativity of the Arts Centre’s technical team. Putting all this together, we have a very special show which we know will be enjoyed as well as stimulating reflections on the meaning of Christmas.”

Tickets are £10, £8 concessions and £35 for a family ticket. For details ring the Arts Centre on 01970 623232 or order your tickets online at: www.aberystwythartscentre.co.uk.