After watching Detour Theatre's final show of the year ‘'Twas the Fight before Christmas' I have been left feeling supremely grateful for my own whanau.

Penned by Tauranga playwright Devon Williamson, it's a comedic tale filled with clever dialogue and hilarious characters that had me giggling, sniggering and chortling out loud throughout.

It follows long-suffering mother Mary Harvey (played by director Kim Williamson) attempting to reclaim Christmas – and her own life – back from her fantastically wicked daughters Stella (Susi Jansen) and Mandy (Sarah Oemecke).

Throw into the mix suicidal French psychologist Jean Pierre (Chris Traill), paranoid frying-pan wearing neighbour Ivy (Lisa Thorne), and loveable walking doormat of a son-in-law Desmond (Chris Parnell) and you've got the perfect recipe for a hilarious disaster that will leaving you wanting more.

I loved the witty wordplay and ‘lost in translation' moments, the way the dialogue drew me in before landing an uppercut to my frontal lobe – magnifique! And amongst the laughs are these touchingly thoughtful moments which add contrast and shapes the story beautifully.

The sparkling diamond of this show for me is the cast. Everyone's comedic timing is spot on and all portrayed their characters wonderfully, tickling a different part of my brain in the most wondrous way.

And they all like they're having so much fun on stage – ‘laugh and the world laughs with you' as the saying goes.

''Twas the Fight Before Christmas' is on stage at Detour Theatre until November 28. Tickets available over the counter at Baycourt or online at www.ticketdirect.co.nz