Well, this is a panto full of creative Christmas joy! The word BALTIC is the jokey Scottish colloquialism for the word FROZEN, so the audience arrived in anticipation of being treated to a narrative which involved at least some of the much-loved characters of the Disney movie. It turns out that they weren’t to be disappointed.
According to the promo blurb, brave young Elspeth, with magical powers still to be unleashed, lives in the snowy village of Glenfrost. When her brother Kai is kidnapped by the wicked Snow Queen Chilblain and her slippery sidekick Jack Frost, she sets off on a daring rescue mission. She’s joined by her hilariously cheeky pal Sammy the Slush, her snow-stopping mammy Dame Agnes Avalunch, and a whole host of frosty new friends, including a talking snowman called Nolaff who’s lost his carrot and his sense of smell. Along the way, they face chaotic trolls, a ravenous seven-foot Yeti, and a snowstorm or two as Elspeth discovers what she’s really capable of.
Now, that’s a tricky bit of plotting by the writer-director, Jerry Taylor right there – cherry picking from a tale which is so familiar and adapting it to suit the pantomime genre, but it works without too much strain on the narrative. However, the truth is that it couldn’t have worked quite so well if it wasn’t for the energy of the cast and the sheer force of Taylor’s creative drive.
Each familiar character – for example, Elspeth and Nolaff/Olaf – landed extraordinarily well. A well-paced story was peppered with stand-out moments from characters such as Chilblain, played by Abbie Watson – the very talented choreographer and musical director – who somehow managed to hold the audience’s full attention with an impressive rendition of Adele’s ‘Rolling In The Deep’ whilst dressed as the villain, wielding a magical staff. There was another such moment from Milly Sweeney who played an intriguingly quirky Jack Frost whose air guitar-ing was quite something to behold, and a creepy skeleton street dance sequence which made excellent use of the performance space. Nice. Very nice.
However, what was most surprising were elements of the performance by Jerry Taylor himself, who played the comic role of Sammy Slush. At times, the various methods he used to engage the audience were nothing short of fearless/foolhardy/trusting/all of the above – and as a result, the audience really felt it. In fact, they transformed this panto into something which felt like a real energetic collaboration between audience and cast, which curiously mirrored how he put this whole production together.
For me, it was clear that Taylor wrote this piece with a generosity of spirit which isn’t always present in panto. Every character was really ‘owned’ by its actor, as .each was given a meaty chance to interpret and shine. This was an ensemble piece, fuelled by the fierceness of Taylor’s fire – which evidently exhausted even himself by the end of this second performance of the day.
However, there was only one element which, for me, jarred a little. I believe that because this cast is strong and energetic, with a great deal of positive energy between them, there was no need for some of the traditional exaggerated facial expressions and physical gestures which, arguably, are becoming outdated in panto which is joyously evolving across the country year after year. In truth, the members of this cast are well able to project their own uniqueness. It’s just an observation, but the use of those old-fashioned physical panto signifiers, particularly when the piece is new and is written to conclude on a modern note of motivation and kindness, was at odds with the production’s level of originality and creativity.
If you’re anywhere near Cumbernauld – or not – go and see this panto. You’re in for a great bit of theatre which will make you smile long after the curtain drops. It may do more than that, though – it may just inspire you to think about what you choose to do in your own life. You may just end up thinking that you might as well go ‘all in’, like the risk-taking Jerry Taylor.
Playing until 24th December, https://lanternhousearts.org/events/baltic/
Reviewer: Susan Cohen
Reviewed: 28th November 2025
North West End UK Rating: