The Kings Theatre, Southsea – until 31st December 2024
Reviewed by Sally Lumley
5*****
We follow our hero Richard Henry Whittington (George Sampson), as he chases his dream of going to London with his cat Caroline (Jacob Bailey) to fall in love and become the new Lord Mayor. Dick quickly achieves the first of his goals when he meets shopkeeper’s daughter Alice Fitzwarren (Imogen Bailey), but the second is a little more difficult. Dick must defeat evil Queen Rat (Lorraine Stanley) who wants to take over London with her rat gang and become mayor herself. With a bit of help from his friends, and with a good helping of fairy magic on their side, Dick sets off on his adventure.
As always, the Kings Theatre panto ticks all the boxes: a hero, a baddy, true love, adventure, magic, sing-a-longs, a brilliant dame, and of course the traditional Portsmouth flying toilet rolls. George Sampson showcased his classic dance moves, and Joe Rowntree as Silly Billy had all the children shouting along to join his gang. Lorraine Stanley (Queen Rat) and Julia Worsley (Fairy Bowbells) were a brilliant balance of bad vs good, and Imogen Bailey as Alice Fitzwarren showcased a brilliant vocal performance that hit all the right notes, while managing to keep a mostly straight face amongst the chaos that was going on around her.
The star of the show for me however was Pompey legend, and self-proclaimed “fat bloke in a dress”, Jack Edwards, who returns this year for his tenth panto at the Kings Theatre as Dame Dolly. He has become part of Christmas for so many, and clearly has fun doing it, with just the right levels of silliness and chaos. I have to say, Dolly was really pushing the boundaries in her new beachwear outfit this year, well done to the costume designer Helga Wood, and Jack himself for pulling it off! Without giving away any spoilers, the moment when Dolly is rescued from the shipwreck is absolute camp magic. Does it make any sense? None whatsoever, but it was hilarious.
As a musical theatre fan, I really loved the music choices this year. With Hamilton themes for Queen Rat, and a wonderful homage to Les Mis before the interval, it was a real treat and showcased the strong vocal talents of the cast. More traditional sing-a-longs were also part of the fun and had the whole audience on their feet dancing and singing along.
Yet again, the Kings Theatre have created a wonderful panto full of magic, laughter and fun, and it’s a wonderful way to start the festive period. Oh yes it is!