Alphabetti Theatre Newcastle open Tyne – until 21st December 2024
Reviewed by Sandra Little
5*****
Recommended age for this show is 16+
This Christmas offering from Alphabetti is an absolute delight! It’s a laugh out loud experience from start to finish and a brilliantly different take on the usual Christmas themes. It’s written by Coggin Galbreath and based on an all American pageant with the main character Pati Boo Rae (played by Coggin Galbreath) assuming that once again she will be a clear winner in this competition. Patti who hails from Texas and appears to be self obsessed, has won the competition for the past five years and is confident that the candy cane crown for this year’s pageant is, without doubt, hers for the taking.
There is a nod in this show, to all of the pageant classics including an interview involving a member of the audience, a hilarious swimsuit routine, an evening wear scene and a talent scene. When asked during her interview who is her role model Patti replies, “Baby Jesus.” Suffice to say her explanation for choosing Baby Jesus is is a laugh out loud moment.
Unfortunately for Patti, her assumption of further success in the pageant is threatened when a late entry rival in the form of Betty Thunderthighs is allowed to join the competition. Patti’s protests about rule breaking are dismissed and a vote is arranged to choose the winner. Betty of course, looks stunning in her sparkly Christmas dress with white fur cape and lavish jeweller; her make up is a superb artistic creation which adds to the drama. Although Betty didn’t join Patti on stage for a while, she made her presence felt when she did arrive, particularly with her facial expressions. The involvement of Betty definitely adds to the melodrama of the show.
Patti delivered some classic Christmas songs with great style, beginning with Jingle Bell Rock and moving on to Santa Baby. However, my favourite routine had to be Patti’s take on “You Can Take Your hat off” which was delivered with the help of a brave member of the audience and was extremely funny.
In between the high energy on stage performance there are video clips of Patti in different situations and during one of these clips we learn that the pageant is being sponsored by Tupperware! The technical expertise of Nick Tyler (stage manager and technician) guarantees a smooth transition from live show to video clip.
Patti is joined by a different special guest artist each night at Alphabetti so no two shows are the same. However, I am sure that each show will be a real treat.
Judging by audience reaction I don’t think I was the only person having a great night at Alphabetti. People embraced the audience participation aspect of the show with enthusiasm and the singalongs were great fun.
As one would imagine, camp doesn’t come close to describing the style of this show. It was a feel good, laugh a minute, high energy offering that was a delight from start to finish. I have no qualms about giving a 5 star rating.