TWO very different Christmas shows are being staged at The Everyman - depicting both white and black sides of the festive season.

First up at The Other Space, while panto fans enjoy Sleeping Beauty in the main theatre, is The Night Before Christmas. But don't expect the quiet-as-a-mouse tale of Christmas Eve anticipation - this is 'a very funny dark comedy that deals with seasonal sentimentality in a refreshingly adult way'.

Expect ripe language, prostitution, low-life characters, black marketeering, drug abuse and more - but there may be a little bit of romanticism even in this grim tale.

Everyman spokeswoman Meg Jackson said: "Author Anthony Neilson has created a unique Christmas combination of an overgrown elf, two small-time crooks and a big-hearted hooker and put them all together in a small warehouse on Christmas Eve.

"While they're busy spouting insults at each other and chastising Christmas for being little more than a time of rampant commercialism and extreme decadence, they discover their own individual meanings of Christmas."

She added that the show is not suitable for anyone under 16 or who still believes in Father Christmas!

Getting back to more traditional Christmas entertainment, Ivan's Christmas Eve drops in just before the big day.

It is based on a Russian fairytale and set in a hut on the frozen steppes. It is a 'hilarious and hugely exciting' story of a young man's ambitions to marry a princess quashed by his mother, who is concerned about him handing out their food to his animal friends.

Then Boris the Bear arrives, choking on a magical pine cone and the adventures really begin.

It will be performed by Gloucestershire's Daylight Theatre and will be touring local primary schools before coming to the Other Space.

Expect plenty of Russian folklore and myth and a chance to sing Russian Christmas song Father First.

The Night Before Christmas runs from December 18 to 30 and Ivan's Christmas Eve runs from December 22 to 31. Contact the box office for ticket details on 01242 572573.