Billed as a “darkly comic retelling” of the 1990 Christmas classic starring Macaulay Culkin, The Wardrobe Theatre’s first in-house production often feels as though it’s grappling with, rather than wholly embracing, its concept. Although its witty, deconstructionist elements of self-parody yield many knowing laughs, the suggestion that the events of 20 years ago are a constant interference in Kevin’s present is less successful.

Andrew Kelly takes on the responsibility not only of convincingly aging a well-loved character, but also of encapsulating the precocious mischievousness with which ten year-old Culkin imbued Kevin in the original film. Consciously or not, Kelly’s performance feels rather one-note throughout. Perhaps the suggestion is that childhood trauma has locked Kevin into a perpetual state of childishness; that each of his Christmases is predestined to involve an obsessive re-enactment of the past – but this jars with scenes where he is seen talking about his now-fractured family relationships and the difficulties of living alone.

Regardless of Director Chris Collier’s slightly convoluted narrative intention, supporting turns from Alice Lamb and the triumphantly funny Jesse Meadows make suspension of disbelief far easier. As Mr and Mrs McCalister, Lamb and Meadows do well to explore the desperate depths of what it would really be like to forget a child without the restraints of a saccharine PG-certificate. However, it is as hapless criminal Marv that Meadows hits new heights, exhibiting a lack of intelligence so complete that the audience is left in stitches. The interpretation of these characters is an example of the amusing results which Collier achieves when he settles for subtly subversive homage over forced pathos; his and designer Harriet de Winton’s clever use of props, lighting, John Williams’ original score and an ingenious recreation of the film’s famous final confrontation between boy and burglars also emerge as moments of refreshing originality, even more admirable for having been devised on a budget of nothing.

Yet whilst for the reasons above this production certainly isn’t worth less than The Wardrobe Theatre’s characteristically diminutive admission price, it is clear that it cannot make up its mind as to whether it is a remake or retelling, sequel or spoof. Far from bringing out the apparent latent horror beneath the surface of young Kevin’s Christmas frolics, Home Alonely’s frequent – and unarguably child-friendly – revisiting of some of its inspiration’s classic moments often only left me feeling warmly nostalgic for the film itself.

Home Alonely is playing at the Wardrobe Theatre until 18 December. For more information and tickets, see the Wardrobe Theatre website here.