The Met, Bury – until 26th December 2024
Reviewed by Cathy Crabb
5*****
Do panto villains just need love? Big Tiny gives a great message to kids- sometimes kindness can change a person. But they let us have a good ole panto time before that happens.
The Big Tiny Production Company is well established now, giving high quality and fair priced panto to the northwest with excellent production value and progressively written stories. I really enjoyed this take on Rumpelstiltskin and thanks to director Will Cousins there are some terrifying, cute and eye-popping treats for the audience.
Lieblingsberg is a town where love is lacking as whimsical Cupid (Laura Wilson) can’t be arsed visiting. Prince Dierdrick (Josh Radcliffe) falls for Maria (Sophie Trueman) regardless of the fact he has to marry royalty. Alas, Maria’s already under the influence of nasty little Rumpelstiltskin (Charlie Hodgkinson). Ashen looking Rumple resided in a dark, hollow tree, gnashing his teeth, rubbing his hands and keeping his jazz shoes impeccable, until the moment when Maria was conned into saying his name three times. He then offers her anything she wants, with terms and conditions. Maria is blinded by her desire to snag this fit rich lad, so she agrees to let Rumple help her hoodwink the Prince. Rumple spins gold for her and she gives over her first born to him. And we the audience clap, shout boo and sing our way through this high peril with Badges (Toby West) and Winnie the Warden (Andrew Truluck) helping us along the way.
I love the sound of kids screaming and shouting in the theatre, just being kids having a great time. This, in turn, encourages adults to let themselves go. There’s nothing quite like panto for allowing break free of our pass-agg shell, and boo and hiss at life’s cruelty and injustice. Also, there’s some funny sausage jokes. At this performance, they were aimed at Winnie the Warden’s love interest on the front row, who was given a badge saying ‘I love sausage’ to wear in his hometown of Wigan.
Writer Ben Richards has also treated the audience to a lot of breaking character moments for the actors, and this landed particularly well on the press night. ‘You’re 27,’ says Cupid to Prince Dierdrick ‘and your agent is still putting you up for the Prince roles?’ I know Josh’s lovely agent Rachel who was there at this performance, on her 3rd visit to 12 clients pantos this year across the country! I was utterly delighted by these moments. And also loved the bits where Winnie couldn’t keep her wig on.
Even though the fiend Rumpelstiltskin takes Maria and Dierdrick’s baby, he makes a very good point that he had saved a dog, gave her the life she wanted and only took what was agreed. It was actually quite moving when Maria sang True Colours to Rumpelstiltskin and changed him for the better. And I’m sure will be equally as moving when Maria is up in front of Lieblingsberg’s child protection board. Though I imagine that Prince Dierdrick will get away with his part in the whole thing. But Maria forgets all about it when Rumple retrieves the baby by fighting off the real monster- a huge and terrifying beast that takes children and destroys them. We all cheered that the day was saved by the one we least expected.
I had the most wonderful evening. And I couldn’t see a single person, young or old in the audience who wasn’t having the best time as well. I must make a point to come and see a Big Tiny panto every year.