Apollo Theatre – until 8 January 2023
Reviewed by Elizabeth J Smith
4****
Christmas is a time of traditions, whether it be the dressing of the tree or eating turkey and other family favourites on Christmas Day. But there is one tradition that is uniquely British and one most other countries don’t understand and that is panto.
Where women dress as men and men dress as women. Where the youngest of children or the oldest of adults can enjoy the double-entendre, slap stick tom foolery, garish costumes and of course the sing along.
Another time old tradition at Christmas is a duo of one straight man and one funny man to play off each others personalities and their physicality’s. Daniel Clarkson, the tall funny one, and Jefferson Turner, shorter serious one, have nailed the telling of some our favourite panto story lines. Getting to the heart of the story through mad cap larking about on stage. They take you from Cinderella to Sleeping Beauty to Aladdin and even A Christmas Carol, to name but a few.
With ingenious use of words, acting skill, puppetry and some dubious costumes the world of panto is explored and explained. How Prince Charming always wins his true love and the baddie always fails usually with a dastardly end.
The pace is fast and furious and hilariously funny.
The scene is simply and the special affects effective. The ride through the enchanted forest on horse back with the wind blowing in your hair, snow flakes falling, added with a soaking of rain and a splattering of horse dung, you have to be there, your reward is catching a sweet thrown from the stage.
With the addition of a fairy, Charlotte Payne, an Edwardian nut roaster, Jacob Jackson and the puppets, the cast is complete for an entrancing performance full of Christmas cheer and fun.
Panto should be silly, fun and full of up to the minute jokes as well as old cliches. Potted Panto has it all and all cleverly packed into 70 minutes.
Its a proper Christmas cracker.