REVIEWS Archives - Page 28 of 453

18Dec

By Adam WilliamsNo Comments

North West

Cinderella – Opera House

From the moment the curtain rose on the Opera House stage there was magic in the room and everyone was transported into a world of laughter and light. It had fun, frolics, wit and so much warmth that they probably could have turned the heating off in the theatre. This was a panto with a distinctly northern edge. It was laid-back and friendly, with enough jokes to keep the kids amused but also plenty of gags for the adults that would easily sail over younger heads. Topical jokes were thrown in and there were a few ad-libs when things on stage didn’t go as planned. This show was early on in the run, but you could feel that the cast was having a great time. Everyone knows the story of Cinderella and there was little jeopardy or drama on stage. This panto was not particularly concerned w...

16Dec

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Beauty and the Beast – Wesley Centre

Sherlock Productions brought Beauty and the Beast, written by Joshua Clarke and Lewis Clarke to the Wesley Centre in Maltby, Rotherham. Musical Direction by Shelley Edwards, Technical by Steve Trotter, Front of House and Costume Design by Pauline Lister A night of family fun with the obligatory tongue-in-cheek humour and an all-inclusive cast steered by flair by first-time Director Jade Wilkinson. Sherlock Productions was initially established in 2022 by Shelley Edwards and Jade Wilkinson to continue his work and honour their mentor and friend Paddy Sherlock after his sudden death. Sherlock Productions prides itself on providing a secure environment where everyone is welcome, and all are allowed to take to the stage whatever their experience and ability. A real community all-incl...

Underneath a Magical Moon – Sheffield Playhouse

16Dec

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Underneath a Magical Moon – Sheffield Playhouse

Tutti Frutti productions bring ‘A reimagining of Peter Pan as told by Wendy Darling’ to life at the Sheffield Playhouse. This is a children’s theatrical experience aimed at the 3+ age range. The theatre was full of children with their 'grown ups’ and Saturday morning was the perfect time for young minds to be open and not feeling too sleepy! The cast interact with the audience before the show starts, introducing themselves and developing a rapport with the children. Written by Mike Kenny with Ivan Scott as Composer the cast took on mutipule characters to re tell the story. Starting with J.M.Barrie’s original child characters of Wendy, John and Michael they transform to Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Mermaids and the ‘Clock-a dile‘. This multi-talented Cast of Rachel Hammond as Wendy, Alex ...

The Sleeping Beauty – Church Hill Theatre

16Dec

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

The Sleeping Beauty – Church Hill Theatre

This traditional Panto is great family entertainment, including cheesy jokes, audience participation, sing alongs and all the familiar ‘panto’ tropes. Edinburgh People’s Theatre throw themselves into this retro production, and you find yourself laughing, singing and shouting out ‘behind you!’, almost in spite of yourself. It’s enough to make even a moody teen smirk! On the night I attended the massed ranks of Brownies and Guides and large family groups fairly filled up the well appointed and comfortable seats of the Church Hill Theatre and provide plenty of atmosphere and hilarious heckling in all the right places. When dame, Derek Ward, as Queen Dorothy asks if his ‘bum looks big in this’, he looks suitably hurt by the inevitable audience responses. Mandy Black’s assured directi...

16Dec

By Max EdenNo Comments

North West

Stick Man – The Lowry

Freckle Productions’ stage adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s beloved Stick Man is a delightful treat for families, bringing laughter, joy, and a touch of magic to The Lowry. With live music, clever puppetry, and plenty of fun songs, this energetic performance captures the heart of the original story while adding its own unique theatrical touch! The talented cast of three delivers a captivating performance, effortlessly switching between characters, instruments, and puppeteering. Their enthusiasm is infectious, drawing the audience into Stick Man’s adventurous quest to reunite with his “Stick Lady Love” and their children. The puppetry is particularly inventive, with a combination of props, movement, and creative staging breathing life into Stick Man and his ever-chan...

Goldilocks and the Three Bears – Hull New Theatre

16Dec

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Goldilocks and the Three Bears – Hull New Theatre

An incident tonight at the Hull New Theatre highlighted a perfect example of how lovely panto folk are. Goldilocks and the Three Bears were in town, and, after Joey, the Clown (Neil Hurst) had sprayed those seated on the front rows with water from a huge water pistol, many times, he then covered the wet theatregoers in reams of toilet paper, so they could dry off. Thoughtful or what! And that is why I never, ever sit on the front rows of a panto - one blast from that pistol and I would have been a fuzzball. But from my fab seat up in the circle, how I laughed at the victims’ screams. And I never stopped laughing all the way through this rip-roaring, colourful spectacle. The whole production was a riot of colour from start to finish, thanks to the most amazing costumes - some...

14Dec

By Zak RosenNo Comments

London

Hold On To Your Butts – Arcola Theatre

Hold On To Your Butts, the frenetic, exceedingly clever work of New York-based company Recent Cutbacks, is exactly what it purports to be. Originating ten years ago with sold out performances in New York and recently transferring from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the show is (as far as I can tell, a completely faithful) shot-for-shot theatrical parody of Stephen Spielberg’s iconic tale of a dinosaur theme park that goes horribly wrong. But knowing that, and subsequently knowing the general plot (Arrival. Dinosaurs. Chaos Theory. Power Failure. Velociraptor Hijinks.) does nothing to capture the ingenuity and delight of this show. From the very beginning, when one’s eyes fall on the rickety-sparse stage, awash in a thin fog and a deep, anticipatory green lighting (courtesy of desi...

14Dec

By Zak RosenNo Comments

London

Dead Hard – Colab Tower

‘Tis the season for mulled cider, yuletide cheer, festival holiday shrubberies of various kinds, and of course, the Panto – a classic story often full of slapstick, genderbending, topical humour, a villain and a wedding. Well, what’s more classic than the iconic Christmas movie Die Hard?And what better way to tell this classical story, Panto Style, than with some extremely fierce immersive drag? That’s exactly what the Yippee Theatre has done with its inaugural show at the Colab Tower immersive theatre venue. Billed as the world’s first immersive drag panto, this show is full of stellar costumes, raucous performances, hysterical references and superb audience interaction that gets people engaged without making anything awkward or uncomfortable. Directed by Bertie Watkins, the show c...

It’s A Wonderful Life – St George’s Hall

14Dec

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

It’s A Wonderful Life – St George’s Hall

Having completed a two-week run at Liverpool’s Royal Court Studio and with the bells well and truly ringing, Old Fruit Jar Productions turned to St George’s Hall to spread the festive magic of this delightful tearjerker production a little further. Christmas Eve, 1946 and down-on-his-luck banker George Bailey (Robbie Fletcher-Hill)) feels life has passed him by, and he's at the end of his tether, so angels Joseph (Andrew Johnson) and Gloria (Faye Griffiths) decide to send a fledgling guardian angel, Clarence (Jordan Barkley) to earn his wings, but if he is going to be of any help, he needs to understand who George truly is: the young boy at play with brother Harry (Anthony Roberts) and friend Sam (Taona Matope)? Or the young man distracted by the attractions of Violet (Rachel McGrath) a...

Little Shop of Horrors – Sheffield Crucible

13Dec

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Little Shop of Horrors – Sheffield Crucible

With a sassy evening of satirical splendour, Howard Ashman (Book and Lyric) and Alan Menken's (Music) dark yet comic musical Little Shop of Horrors hit the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield. Directed by Amy Hodge, designed by Georgia Lowe and choreography by Jade Hackett, the audience are transported back to 1960's Skid Row and into the hapless interior of Mushnik Florists. Amongst the decaying plants we meet the proprietor Mushnik himself and his assistants Audrey and Seymour. With the help of the omnipresent and sparkling singing of the narrative trio - The Ronettes, we follow Seymour's meteoric rise to fortune and fame after he stumbles upon a new genus of plant, but this one has a carnivorous appetite and a mission of world domination! Photo: Manuel Harlan With new Musical orchestratio...