A totally bonkers and chaotic play is on stage at Studio Theatre this week.

Showcasing the trepidatious highlight of the primary school calendar, Tim Firth's unruly Christmas play The Flint Street Nativity, sees 11 full-grown adults regress into seven-year-olds.

Co-directors Sally Marshall and Paul Chalmers have embraced the disorderly manner of children's interactions and let the nonsensical flow throughout the play.

It took me a little while to see the infant character through the adult actor, but once I could, it was brilliantly funny.

It’s a play where the actors are supposed to forget their lines, and when they forget the lines that they’re supposed to remember, it’s even funnier.

Crazy and chaotic in places it’s incredibly good fun as the 'children' blurt out the reality of their home lives and things their parents have taught them.

Classroom characters are perfectly portrayed - Tamsin Jacson, as Angel Gabriel, is the bossy manipulative friend; Jill Cowling, as the shepherd, is the child that always tells the truth (which always gets the laughs); and Emma Young, as Mary, is the goody goody child with all the pressure that comes with it.

Amid the humour, the play has some touchingly realistic and quite sad themes. Jacob Franks, as the innkeeper, sings sadly about his dad stinking of beer; Jamie Pullen's wise man wants to be able to say Frankincense without a lisp; while Adam Barge lifts his cardboard ass's head to spot his social worker in the audience.

A bit daft and chaotic, but totally entertaining – it had me (and the rest of the packed theatre) in stitches.