Joy Watters reviews a panto 'full of fun, lots of local jokes, banter and the opportunity for Barrie Hunter's dame to put his first-class stamp on the production'.
Perth’s festive offering this year finds itself in the ‘Which panto is this exactly?’ genre.
There is a touch of Aladdin whisking the audience to foreign climes rather than the domestic rodent-centric tale of yore. The tale is set in Perth, which is where the plague of rats is, but for reasons not entirely clear, the characters head off to Morocco.
Alan McHugh’s adaptation is full of fun, lots of local jokes, banter and the opportunity for Barrie Hunter’s dame to put his first-class stamp on the production. Senga McScruff has a sweetie shop in the Fair City, making for a string of confectionary puns and huge recreations of everyone’s fave chocolate bars. It’s a Christmas miracle, as confectioners reduce the size of their products, Perth comes up with mega-sized offerings.
Directed by Ian Grieve, all the ingredients of a traditional panto are here plus a bit of contemporary technology, namely the use of a giant smart phone screen centre stage. The cast of 13 tackle a host of roles, with a local youth cast giving sprightly support as the audience is taken on something of a mystery tour.
The four-strong orchestra under the baton of Stuart Watson is larger than life, providing a chuckling stream of music and assisting with goings on onstage.
There is a lack of focus on the plot as no ends are really tied up. Perhaps the vast nature of the concert hall auditorium has allowed it the story to sprawl too much.
Performs at the Perth Concert Hall until December 26.
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