Jack Studio Theatre – until 6 January 2023
Reviewed by Claire Roderick
4****
Luke Adamson’s bittersweet love letter to theatre is fantastic Christmas fare – a behind the scenes peek at panto full of camp, bitchy backstabbing and humour that charms but has a deep sense of melancholy.
It’s the last show in the annual panto run in a provincial theatre and the two actors playing the ugly sisters in Cinderella have shared a dressing room for weeks. The pair acknowledge their routines are dated and getting less laughs, but gamely soldier on as their tolerance of each other nears breaking point. We see their backstage bickering about missed cues, premature pickups and overacting between scenes escalate to Shakespearean tragedy.
As well as the personal barbs, there is musing on the state of theatre and how the industry treats artists, the use of “names” rather than skilled actors and the sustainability of panto as the price of visiting the theatre once a year to see the same old routines performed in different costumes becomes untenable. Matthew Parker’s Chancery is a jobbing actor, falling into parts and the beds of company members. His “It’s only panto” attitude riles Worth (Bryan Pilkington) who insists he should respect panto as an art form.
Adamson’s writing is smart and witty, with his love for theatre shining through the angry observations. The characters are sketched nicely with just enough information to make their actions understandable and endear them to the audience in 70 minutes. Kate Bannister directs with her usual flair and Karl Swinyard’s dressing room set is a delight. The removal of a dressing rack and swift lighting change transports the actors “onstage” to perform delightfully cliched routines – there is even the traditional singalong competition.
Matthew Parker delights in the showier, more physical role of Chancery, gruesomely OTT as the ugly sister and seemingly constantly on the verge of slapping Worth backstage. Bryan Pilkington’s Worth is quieter but exquisitely portraying the character crumbling both on and offstage in a memorable performance. Together they are a brilliant double act – with a sparkling chemistry even in the quieter scenes and a joy to watch. Fantastic Christmas fun.