Simon Nock Archives - North West End UK

Aladdin: The Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto – Leeds City Varieties

9Dec

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Aladdin: The Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto – Leeds City Varieties

The first I time I saw the Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto in Leeds the Iraq War had just ended, Novak Djokovic has secured his first Wimbledon crown and Prince William got hitched to Catherine Middleton Since then, this traditional pantomime with a musical edge has become a must see for families across the generations – oh, yes it has – and taken its place in the pantheon of great shows in one of the North’s most historic theatres. It may be entering its fifteenth run, but the latest Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto basically is the same show, albeit with a different name, and a few more topical gags. This time star-crossed lovers A-lad-in-Leeds (see what they did there?) and Princess Peachblosoom are helped by a motley crew of friends to overcome evil villain Abanazer before they find true love. Oh, yes th...

Robin Hood: The Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto – Leeds City Varieties

After a long year of often serious shows, and the world in chaos, it’s just nice to sit back in a historic theatre to watch a show as comfortable as a pair of old slippers. The Rock ‘n’ Roll brand is pretty much bombproof from criticism combining a perfunctory attempt at a classic story - which is just an excuse for classic panto madness - while a gang of actor-musicians swap instruments knocking out hits for the young and old. Only in panto could you get covers of The Clash and Taylor Swift songs, that all have tenuous links to the ‘narrative’, and no-one bats an eyelid. This year poor old Robin Hood got the Peter Rowe treatment as this master of the most British of theatrical traditions weaves in sight gags, puppets, pratfalls, fart gags, corpsing, all the classic call and response...

Beauty and the Beast – Leeds City Varieties

I say it every year - oh yes, I do - that the success of any panto depends on how good their Dame is and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto has one of the best purveyors of that quintessentially British mix of laughs and seasonal smut in Simon Nock. This is his fourth year at this historic city centre home of light entertainment and his Dame Bessie Bigbreaths - see what they did there - is a glorious mix of spraying out corny laughs for the children and some very near the knuckle gags for the not so young kids. He gets away with it - oh yes, he does - because he has charm to burn and times a gag well, combined with a wonderfully expressive raise of the eyebrow when the Dame has gone too far. This is the tenth year of the Rock ‘n’ Roll franchise in Leeds who have become the masters of integratin...