Pussy in Boots 18+

 

Panto is traditionally a time for people to let off steam, reawaken the inner child and return back to happier times of fairy tales, popcorn and silly jokes.  It doesn’t matter how old you are, everyone enjoys having fun but sometimes the pantos on offer are still solely aimed at the children in the audience.

Well fear not grown ups for last night we watched a panto completely aimed at us – adult humour, adult jokes, adult language but still packed with child-like silliness.

Pussy in Boots is the Dick Whittingham tale thrown fair and square into the adult arena.  Following tradition with the principal boy being played by a girl, Dick (Gemma Robinson) is the love struck poor boy who pines / lusts after Princess Rose, the virginal Eleaner Alderson.  Desperate to win her hand (and the rest of her) he must prove to Rose’s mother that he is a worthy suitor. If only there was a way he could defeat some sort of evil ogre, rescue the girl and live happily ever after.

Cue the Count, the deliciously evil Sarah Oakland whose appearance meets with both boos and no shortage of lewd suggestive comments from the audience. The count plans to capture the Princess and take her to the Ogre, a mysterious being who in the interests of casting, costs and general desire, can take any form and as such never has to actually be seen as an ogre.

Of course, true to the tale, Dick is not alone in his quest, enter Pussy in Boots (Hayley-Marie Warters) – brilliantly funny, constantly teasing the audience (and the rest of the cast) and demonstrating that naughty pussies deserve the cream too.

Backed by dancers Victoria West, Kimberley Taylor and Louise Walker, the pace of the show is non-stop; sometimes planned, sometimes improvised but always funny and definitely naughty.  Traditional elements (the “if I were not in Pantomime” song is breath stealingly funny), “he’s behind you” with a rather unique Christmas gimp and some pretty decent singing make sure this is not an Am Dram attempt at a Christmas show; it is a pantomime worthy of the title.

Tons of smut, loads of audience participation and buckets of condoms, this is a riot of fun and perfect for group night out, office party or a church road trip (well, perhaps not the last one) and one which I hope is replayed in the future.  I will certainly be looking out for similar productions.

Cinderella at Darlington Hippodrome

One of the most eagerly awaited shows of the year opened at Darlington Hippodrome, the annual pantomime, and once again the families of Darlington are in for a treat.  Cinderella by Crossroads Pantomime Productions (who also have Snow White on at the Theatre Royal Newcastle) brings all the expected glitz, glamour and family fun – the perfect ingredients for an enjoyable few hours and a lovely way to begin the season's festivities.

Cinderella (Tanisha Butterfield making her debut) is desperate to escape her oppressive step family and dreams of meeting Mr Right, Prince Charming (Jacob Leeson) who in turn feels that his title is the only thing would-be brides are attracted by.  Swapping places with his valet, Dandini ( Spin) he befriends Cinders without her realising he is royalty and thus the scene is set for the most famous premise in all of storyland “Cinders, you shall go to the ball”.

Star billing as the fairy godmother goes to Faye Tozer, super pop star with Steps and as a solo artist. Not only can Faye sing (which we all know) but she’s a great actor too, very relaxed and natural and clearly enjoying the role.  Her Steps medley to close the show had everyone on their feet and not surprisingly most still know the dance routines.   Playing opposite Faye as Buttons is Patrick Monahan – brilliantly funny although at times his natural wit is somewhat curtailed by the safe writing – there’s no too much double entendres for the adults but plenty of child focussed toilet humour.

Sadly, missing from this story is an evil entity – there is no wicked step mother to whom the audience can direct their boos and hisses.  The ugly sisters (Peter Peverley and Phil Corbitt) try and bring some Geordie styled badness but traditionally they were always meant to be selfish and spiteful, not nasty and wicked.

Being honest, in the region there are funnier pantos (Danny Adams,  Clive Webb and Mick Potts in Snow White, Theatre Royal Newcastle), there is more originality (Nutcracker Re-Miced at Durham Gala)  and there is the best villain in the land (Neil Armstrong in Robin Hood, Durham Gala) so whilst in comparison this is somewhat underwhelming, what this Cinderella gives you is a wonderfully safe, family friendly show to which you can confidently take young children who will enjoy a traditional production.

The Nutcracker Re-Miced

 

A beautiful land of pure imagination in which everyone is welcome.

At this time of year taking the family, especially if there are young children, to see a show is a wonderful way to share experience and enjoy some quality time together, away from the hustle of work, school and shopping.  Whilst there are a lot of traditional pantomimes on offer, one show promises something a little different; The Nutcracker Re-miced.

Written by Laura Turner and with original songs and score by Laura, David Barton and director Jake Smith, the Nutcracker Re-Miced is a brilliant piece of storytelling which will equally enthral youngsters and adults alike.  The story is of a Christmas Eve adventure for 2 young mice, Spike (Benjamin Storey) and Cookie (Rebecca Tebbett) who, with their mam Molly (Jessica Brady) live inside a broken clock in Durham Castle Tower.

Spike (who dreams of being a rock star)  has found a Nutcracker left at the station and would like to return it to its owner, however come night-time on Christmas Eve, it comes to life and explains to the two youngsters that they are needed to help defeat the evil Mouse Queen in Dreamland.  Off they set on their mission to find the Sugar Punk Fairy,  sail on the Honey River and return the stolen Dreamland cheese.  Along the way they have to hide from the Cat Patrol, escape from the Queen’s jail and find the missing piece to fix their clock. 

As a Christmas show this has everything you need; great characters, brilliant songs and heaps of imagination.  With all the young children in the audience encouraged to sit on rugs at the front they are immediately placed right inside the make believe world.  We took our granddaughter Emilia (5) who was transfixed throughout the show.  It’s no mean feat to hold young minds’ attention, especially at this time of year, but Jessica, Ben and Rebecca and Laura’s writing guarantee to keep them entertained throughout.   As we left, Emilia declared she loved it, and then proceeded to recount the whole story again on the drive home, a ringing endorsement.

The Nutcracker Re-Miced is on at Durham Gala from December 7^th right up to Christmas Eve – a perfect way to spend some magic time for everyone.

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

Story telling at its very best, this fantastical production transports you into the land of Narnia in a 5 star adventure.

Following many successful adaptations on both TV and Radio, this Leeds Playhouse production of the classic C S Lewis book is a massive show packed full of wonderful imagery, stunning props and an amazing cast. 

Director Michael Fentiman has created a truly unique experience; right from the very beginning as the Pevensie children are evacuated from war torn London to the highlands of Scotland we are immediately enveloped in a world where nothing seems exactly as it should be, a perfect approach to Lewis’ land.

The 4 leads, Peter (Ammar Duffus), Edmund (Shaka Kalokoh), Lucy (Karise Yansen) and Susan (Robyn Sinclair) are sent to live with eccentric Professor Kirk (Johnson Willis) and his housekeeper Mrs Macready (Samantha Womack).  Exploring his rambling house they come upon the wardrobe, through which first Lucy, then Edmund and finally all 4 children travel to the land of Narnia.  

Exploring this new land, they encounter no end of mystical creatures who are currently under a 100 year spell of perpetual winter, cast by the evil White Witch (Samantha Womack).  Samantha plays the Witch with unnerving, understated menace – there is no over the top pantomime style evil, more a simple, quiet certainty that she will win.  As the children befriend the Narnians they realise that their coming has been foretold in many stories, ‘Sons of Adam’ and ‘Daughters of Eve’ being revered as saviours to help rid the land of the self-appointed queen.  Assisting Aslan The Lion (Chris Jared and an amazing walking puppet) the 4 humans adopt their new personas and thus the final battle scene is set.

Using ensemble members to play both background humans and the creatures of Narnia, complete with all the instruments and percussion makes this totally immersive – there are no lines of delineation between traditional on and off stage elements.  Fight scenes between animals are wonderfully choreographed by Jonathan Holby while Toby Olie and Max Humphries excel in their puppetry.

The key to this whole production is imagination – the set design is brilliantly simple, presenting an almost blank canvas upon which designers Rae Smith and Tom Paris paint the fantasy.  The transitions between the human world and Narnia are wonderfully etheric; swirling curtains of silk aid scene changes while the introduction of new characters is so organic they seem to grow from the stage. 

A number of original songs (by Benji Bower and Barnaby Race) present the characters with the avenue to expand on their backstories without detracting from the flow of the story while the incidental score heightens the fantasy even further.

Make no mistake, this may be a children’s tale but this is far from a pantomime production; it is rich, complex and multi-layered, presenting as much space for the audience to do their own imagining as it does the visual smorgasbord on stage.  

More than worthy of 5 stars, this production sets a new level of excellence to which any and every storyteller should attempt to reach.