Sparkling Family Treat
Buddy & Cocoa’s Christmas Adventure
by Ken Mason
Stephen Leslie Productions at Hampton Hill Theatre until 24th December
Review by Sadie Williams
Hampton Hill Theatre is buzzing with more festive fun this year as Buddy and Cocoa, played by Joanna McGarva and Charlotte Ellen, dazzle young audiences with their singing, dancing and adventure. Throw into the mix an array of colourful characters expertly played by the experienced Peter F. Gardiner, previously seen in Coronation Street, and Stephen Leslie’s latest production, Buddy & Cocoa’s Christmas Adventure is a real Christmas cracker.
The audience join the two elves, Buddy and Cocoa, as they set off on a magical mission to find gold dust for Santa’s sleigh.
Read more…Not Rattled
Dick Whittington
by Alan McHugh, additional material by Paul Merton
Crossroads Pantomimes at Richmond Theatre until 7th January
Review by Mark Aspen
London Lights! Wham, Crossroads opens Dick Whittington with its wonted whammy and razzmatazz, full on there with monumental music, lighting and sound, full on with energy, physical and electrical. With a press night on the day that COP 28 came to an end in Dubai, it felt like a use-it-or-lose it moment. (What a gesture towards the participants dispersing home in their private jets!)
This is a panto that is not done by halves, and the opening is a measure of the energy and the fun to come throughout. And a constant foil to the show is the ubiquitous, versatile and hyper-dynamic ensemble, acrobatically choreographed by Jonathan Mawson, who appear in many guises from noisome rats to nautical ratings.
Read more…And Pretty Maids All
The Secret Garden
by Louise Haddington, adapted from the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Take Note Theatre at the Theatre at the Tabard, Chiswick until 31st December
Review by Heather Moulson
On my first visit to this renowned theatre at Turnham Green, an elegant space upstairs over an equally elegant pub, we discovered a neat stage area and a very receptive audience, soon with ourselves included.
The Secret Garden opened against a deceptively plain background, the basis of a sensitively designed set by Hazel Owen. Here meet the unhappy and lonely ten year old Mary Lennox, recently arrived from India to become a ward to an indifferent rich uncle. The little girl, was played by Daisy Rae, skilful with her edginess, and with a striking stage presence, as she portrayed an unloved, but privileged child, with talent and conviction.
Read more…Revel in It
Cinderella
by Alan McHugh, additional material by Pete Firman and Matt Slack
Crossroads Pantomimes at the New Wimbledon Theatre until 7th January
Review by Thea Diamond
What’s there not to love about a well-known rags-to-riches story this Christmas? And it is something special when it is produced by Crossroads, whose tried and tested large scale panto productions never fail to impress with their magical special effects, spectacular costumes, breath-taking scenery, lighting and pyrotechnics; along with all the glitter and glamour of familiar household stars taking centre stage.
Read more…Spirit of Christmas Past
Whisky Galore
by Compton Mackenzie, adapted for the stage by Philip Goulding
Richmond Shakespeare Society at the Mary Wallace Theatre, Twickenham until 16th December
Review by Steve Mackrell
The initial thought on going to see a play adapted from a classic novel and based on the concept of actors playing the parts of other actors, was trepidation, given the challenges involved. But that was the challenge faced by Richmond Shakespeare Society in their festive production of Whisky Galore, adapted for the stage by Philip Goulding, and based on the well-loved novel by Compton Mackenzie.
The premise of the play is that a group of female actors, the Pallas Players, are touring the country in the 1950’s with a stage version of the celebrated Scottish novel, set during the Second World War. So, we are in “play within a play” territory, with much larger-than-life stylised acting and, being intentionally written for an all-female cast, involving much cross-dressing and manly poses. The play opens with a rousing, inspirational and jolly hockey-sticks introduction from the Player’s “actor manager” before the band of female players leap into their stage production of Whisky Galore.
Read more…Harrowing in Enfield
The Enfield Haunting
by Paul Unwin
Smith and Brant Theatricals et al at the Ambassadors Theatre, West End until 2nd March 2024
Review by Heather Moulson
The Enfield Haunting is scary. Nearly ninety minutes scary in fact, with no interval to catch your breath (or have stiff drink). The play is an adaption of a true story from the late seventies. These ghostly events took place in Green Street on Enfield Highway, an area I knew well, as I worked very nearby about a decade later. I have to say I had a much happier time than this particular family.
Read more…Oh Yes It Is (a fabulous panto)
Odyssey: A Heroic Pantomime
by John Savournin, music and lyrics by David Eaton
Charles Court Opera at the Jermyn St Theatre, West End until 31st December
Review by Patrick Shorrock
The Charles Court Opera Panto has been a seasonal treat for those in the know for many years, with finer singing, funnier jokes, and more fantastic scenarios than your bog-standard Cinderella. Recent subjects have ranged from Pinocchio to Beowulf, from Tutankhamen to Rumpelstiltskin.
Read more…Black Spots and Revelations
Treasure Island
by James Rushbrooke, after Robert Louis Stevenson
The Questors at the Judi Dench Playhouse, Ealing until 31st December
Review by Andrew Lawston
Treasure Island is perhaps not the most obvious story to adapt into a pantomime. But when you bear in mind some of the rougher edges that have been filed off the more traditional panto fairy tales, it quickly starts to make sense as a classic of children’s literature.
James Rushbrooke’s script opens with a brief introduction from Gareth Bevan’s Billy Bones. As soon as he mentions the tale of Davey Jones, from Brixton, against the tinkling guitars of Life On Mars, it becomes clear that the script is going to be packed with more contemporary cultural references than you might expect from Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale of piracy.
Read more…Flights of Fancy
Peter Pan
by Evan Placey, music and lyrics by Vikki Stone, after JM Barrie
Rose Theatre Original at the Rose Theatre, Kingston until 7th January
Review by Steve Mackrell
A new musical adaptation of the classic JM Barrie story, Peter Pan, has flown into the Rose Theatre, Kingston as this season’s mid-winter offering. However, for this stage version, the term “flown” is not quite the operative word since our boy hero remains firmly rooted to the ground.
Taking a timeless classic, such as Peter Pan, provides a great opportunity to tell a very familiar story in a new, fresh and innovative way. After all, the famous storyline contains all manner of theatrical ingredients – adventure, friendship, magic – and with numerous intriguing concepts such as flying over London, lost shadows, fairy dust, pirates, mermaids, crocodiles and a make-believe Neverland with a tribe of young boys.
Read more…Feel Good
It’s A Wonderful Life
adapted by Mary Elliott Nelson from the film by Frank Capra, after Philip Van Doren Stern
Reading Rep Theatre, Reading until 30th December
Review by Sam Martin
Reading Rep have done it again with a brilliant adaptation of a classic. This time, It’s a Wonderful Life captures the sentiment of the original film with a satisfying and heart-warming four-hander.
The set design (Libby Todd) captures the cosiness of small-town America as well as a distinct nod to Christmas and its relative traditions. The arched framing of the stage, which mirrors the snow globe-like ornaments, the Guardian Angels, is used to see into our protagonist’s memories. This magical symbolism reminds us of the nostalgia the audience might associate with the story, as well as providing a lens for the audience to peer into the life of George Bailey, a down on his luck banker who has forgone his personal dreams so that he can help others.
Read more…
Mark Aspen 