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Michael Cox reviews 'a treat from start to finish'.
Ask most Scottish theatre audiences that frequently attend Christmas productions who the current king of pantomime is, and one name will probably dominate: Johnny McKnight. There is a reason for this. Even his weakest Christmas shows have an undeniable glee to them, and he has a knack for taking the expected troupes of the genre and running rampant with them.
The Little Mermaid is McKnight at his best: it's cheeky, outrageous, borderline naughty and yet irresistible. To his credit, he's taken inspiration from both Hans Christian Andersen and Disney classic, throwing them into a blender mixed with festive crassness, references to both pop culture and local Stirling life and peppered with a dash of parody.
And the result is a delight. Everything works, from the busy design to the use of local youth in the chorus. McKnight’s script is a winner—close enough to both source materials yet original enough to feel fresh, and filled with fun characters who are a blast to spend time with.
The ensemble is consistently top-notch. McKnight does double-duty in the cast, playing mother Marina and her villainous sister Ursulla—he’s a joy in both roles. Equally outrageous are Dawn Sievewright as Ariana and Robert Jack as Drop Dead Gorgeous Daz, while Kara Swinney brings need charm as Ariel, the titular character.
Sure, the oceanic puns are sometimes a bit much and the line of good taste does get treaded upon a few times, but isn't that part of the charm of it all? The Little Mermaid is a treat from start to finish, and it is further evidence of McKnight becoming a seasonal, if not yearly, treasure.
The Little Mermaid runs at macroberts until January 3rd.
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