Pantomimes abound in abundance around this time of year. For the most part, productions are taken from a select group of stories (such as Cinderella, Aladdin or Jack and the Beanstalk and usually involve a number of set-routines that get repeated year after year. Panto is certainly a great British tradition but one often wishes for a just little more originality whilst keeping to the essence of what makes a good pantomime fun for both young and old. Taking all these factors into account, ‘Goldilocks And The Three Bears’ actually comes close to reinventing the wheel!
For a start, ‘Goldilocks’, whilst being a well-known children’s fairy tale is a refreshingly rare choice for a panto, perhaps in part because of the inherent problem of presenting three bears convincingly as characters. Secondly, most pantos start with a few routines where the characters interact with each other. In ‘Goldilocks’, after an initial singing and dancing number, the Dame, Silly Billy and later the villain Baron Von Vippenhall are each given considerable time alone on stage, dependent on effective interaction with the audience with no-one else to spark off, akin to old-fashioned Music Hall and requiring considerable skill. This was potentially risky but succeeded with this show. Another notable difference was that often pantos involve well-known pop songs effectively given light weight treatment. With this show, the volume was turned up with powerful singing and dancing giving the feel of a rock concert. There were musical number as well with ‘There’s No Business Like Show Business’, the whole cast doing a Tiller-girl style line; again a bit different and it worked well.
The show dispensed with old stalwarts like a messy cooking scene and created fresh and original comedy. A scene involving Silly Billy with the Baron dressed as a bee was at face value ridiculously childish and inane but it had the whole audience repeatedly laughing their heads off; no mean trick to pull off! Again, a very simple gag involving a prison door was performed so well it got a round of applause. There were other several demonstrations of great comedy achieved simply through great timing and professionalism.
Apart from the actual Bear’s house, which only appeared briefly, the staging relied on just a few backcloths and drop-screens but this was all that was needed because the generous stage was used to full effect. The dancers wore a stunning array of costumes ranging from brightly coloured long dresses to skimpy outfits that would not have looked out of place at the Moulin Rouge. There was also genuine spectacle. A circus scene involving a genuine high-level acrobat and a fire-eater brought a sense of danger to the show rarely seen in panto, providing an effective contrast the buffoonery.
The principle players in ‘Goldilocks’ deserve mention. Olivia Sloyan in the title-role was relaxed and confident, unusually for a principle girl having directed the show as well. David Tag as the Ringmaster was out of his usual comfort zone but was the ideal straight man whilst displaying a honed and muscular physique in an often self-deprecating way. Importantly, he seemed to be enjoying himself. Brandon McCaffrey brought nothing new to the role of Silly Billy but performed energetically and built a genuine rapport with the audience. The big departures from tradition were firstly having Mama G as the Dame, actually looking like a woman and frequently wearing sexy, alluring dresses, displaying disturbingly good legs! Think of the 1970’s star Danny La Rue with added panto outrage; a real asset to the show. Another marked difference was having a villain who regularly had long, solo engagements with the audience and also a ludicrous Germanic accent (think of the Baron’s Henchmen and the Child-catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang rolled into one). Timothy Lucas was truly a memorable villain. Credit must also be given to the excellent dance troupe performing and dancing in a great variety of outfits and also the three bears (effective costumes and an amusing trio).
This is a longer review than usual; it deserved to be. A great and very funny show.
Reviewer - John Waterhouse
on - 13.12.22
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