Arts:Blog

Theatre Review: Panto 2014

Michael Cox reviews Cinderella, Peter Pan, The BFG and Aladdin.

Christmas: the goose that lays the golden egg for most theatres, and the time that audiences are spoilt for choice. And for critics—a marathon that could be peppered with cynicism (how many times are we going to have to hear ‘Let it Go’ and ‘Happy’ this year?) but usually turns out to be more pleasure than pain.

Pleasure over pain—perhaps the common verdict for most shows I’ve seen this season.

Take Cinderella (***) at the SECC. Calling it Cinderella sometimes seems like false advertising: it’s more aptly ‘The John Barrowman Show featuring The Krankies!’ But surely that’s what audiences are paying for, and on that note it’s worth the (ridiculously extravagant) price tag.

Barrowman is a brilliant showman: an excellent singer and dancer who always has full command of the audience with that glint in his eye and a constant cheeky spirit, and there are some really fun moments to be had with him throughout the production. Same with the Krankies, particularly Janette Krankie’s rather hilarious take on Miley Cyrus’ ‘Wrecking Ball’, perhaps the funniest moment in the production.

It’s kind of a shame that the rest of the cast are mostly left in the dust because there are some wonderful talent getting (mostly) upstaged by the stars. Rachel Flynn almost feels like a supporting character in her own story, but she makes for a rather charming Cinderella, proving herself to be a Scottish talent worth watching for in the future. Graham Hoadly and Wayne Fitzsimmons have fun as the wicked stepsisters, and Melanie Masson makes for a great Fairy Godmother—even managing to hold her own against Barrowman and the Krankies in the final number. Lawrence Robb’s Prince Charming and Gregor Stewart’s Dandini are glorified cameos, but even they have one or two moments to shine, and do so admirably.

Barrowman and the Krankies have had a good five-year run at the SECC, and though Cinderella isn’t their best (that would be the rather terrific Robinson Crusoe) it’s still a good note to end their Scottish Christmas tenure on. Peter Pan with David Hasselhoff as Hook will certainly be a completely different prospect.

Speaking of the character Hook, if there is a Christmas production that has been (infamously) plagued with hardship this year, it would be Peter Pan (***) at the Kings in Glasgow. No point in going through the revolving door of Hooks this production has had to deal with, but it is a treat to report that Alex Bourne, who according to the programme notes is making his professional panto debut (and stepped in literally at the last minute), makes for a terrific Hook: sinister, but not too frightening, and constantly interesting to watch.

If only the rest of the production held to that standard. This Pan lacks a lot of magic and seems a bit too messy. The dramaturgical choices on the script are questionable at best, the musical selections rarely work and employing two head-lining comedians, Greg McHugh and Des Clarke, is odd—they mostly seem to be competing against each other for laughs and only have one or two moments where their talents work in concert (and the less said about the rather wretched adverts for Littlewoods that opens each act, the better).

And yet the production holds together, though it seems like this is down to sheer hard work and determination rather than theatrical magic from the company. It’s a shame that it doesn’t work better because there is a lot of good talent involved, but for a production that is supposed to be celebrating the company’s 50^th Christmas show, this is barely passable rather than a joyful celebration. It’s good enough, but for such a milestone that really isn’t good enough.

Over at the Lyceum in Edinburgh is Roald Dahl’s The BFG (***). Orphan Sophie is whisked away by a giant when she sees him outside her window, thus embarking on an adventure that takes her into different realms and ends with her enlisting the help of the Queen in order to save the children of the world from meaner, man-eating giants.

If there's one word to sum this production up, it would be 'nice'--everything is just that: the acting, the music, even the rather playful set; it's all charmingly nice. And with a running time of 90-minutes (including an interval), everything unfolds quite quickly without much of a taxing thought, ending with the highlight of the entire production: a Christmas carol medley.

All of which is in fact very nice, even if most of it proves to be unmemorable in the end, save for Becky Minto's lovely design and charming lead performances by Robyn Milne as Sophie and Lewis Howden as BFG.

If there is a bit of a theatrical Christmas miracle, it is to be found a few blocks up from the Lyceum at the Kings. To be honest, I haven't been very impressed with the last few pantos at the Kings in Edinburgh. Some have been amusing enough to pass the time, but most of the fun was superficial and barely registered in the memory within minutes of leaving the theatre.

Not so with Aladdin (****). Not only do the triple-threat act of Allan Stewart, Grant Stott and Andy Gray work comedic wonders (with all three playing the right roles which haven't been overstretched to accompany the billing), but the production as a whole is an utter theatrical delight from start to finish.

Wonderful flourishes are to be found everywhere. The plotting is just right, the musical and comedic numbers all work and last for appropriate lengths and, most importantly, there is a nice sense of an ensemble at work. Stewart, Stott and Gray may be the headliners, but the rest of the company have ample moments to shine. Lisa Lynch's Slave of the Ring and Miriam Ewell-Sutton's Princess Jasmine might not have a lot to do, but they sing well and create fun characters, while James Paterson makes the best of a rather thinly-written Emperor of China--but he's great in the final number going head-to-head with Stewart, Stott and Gray.

Perhaps the discovery of the production is Greg Barrowman, who proves himself to be as capable to headline the stage as his famed uncle. Cheeky, personable with the audience and delivering great vocals and moves, Barrowman is a hero easy to root for, and it would be a shame to not see him becoming a more well-known presence in Scottish entertainment within the next few years. Holding the stage for two hours is hard enough, holding your own against Stewart, Stott and Gray is a Christmas miracle indeed.

Cinderella performs at the SECC until January 4. Peter Pan is at the Glasgow Kings until January 11. The BFG is at the Lyceum until January 3. Aladdin is at the Edinburgh Kings until January 18.