Stage: Sharp as a tack

Cracked: Snow White ... With Extra Bite
by Tim Benzie and Paul Joseph
dir Tim McArthur
musical director Aaron Clingham
with Grant Cartwright, Charlie Wood, Stewart Briggs, Lucy Penrose, Josh Sing Sian
Royal Vauxhall Tavern, London • 24.Nov.22-6.Jan.23

For their seasonal panto, the team at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern have created yet another wonderfully naughty take on the children's theatre format, adapting the Snow White fairy tale into a witty adventure into modern obsessions with social media. Everything about this show feels sharp as a tack, from the snappy script to the engagingly silly performances.

In this version of the story, Snow White (Cartwright) is a self-absorbed princess who hasn't a clue what's going on around her. Even more preening, the Wicked Queen (Stewart Briggs) relies on affirmation from her Magic Mirror (Wood). But the truth-telling mirror has been lying to her, which results in a series of cracks until it only has one lie left. Enter dwarf Sleepy (Penrose), the tale's narrator, who is trying to make a new mirror for the Queen before she realises that she's not actually the fairest in the land. And there's also a huntsman (Sian) who works for the Queen but is secretly in love with Snow White.

Staged with colourful costumes on the RVT's tiny stage, the plot is deliberately chaotic, resulting in various nutty encounters that are merely excuses for riotously warped renditions of pop songs from Abba to Harry Styles, by way of several classic musical theatre numbers. Kate Bush even comes to the rescue at one point, just one of many smart cultural references. And amusingly lacerating political gags are peppered throughout the script, eliciting pointed cheers from the audience.

Some of the tropes of the panto tradition feel a bit over-extended, such as the big number that's sung in the round (which seems unnecessary after the more fleet-footed rendition of Godspell's similarly complex All for the Best) or the big audience-competition song. But it's performed with so much charm that we don't mind at all. This is a very clever show that addresses the audience like children while taking a gleefully adult approach to innuendo and more overt smuttiness. And what it has to say about the impact of social media makes us think in between the laughter.

For information, visit ROYAL VAUXHALL TAVERN >

photos by Chris Jepson • 13.Dec.22

Stage: Double-pricked for Christmas

Pricked: Sleeping Beauty Got Woke
by Tim Benzie, Paul Joseph
dir Tim McArthur
music Aaron Clingham
with Grant Cartwright, Joseph Pollard, Lucy Penrose, Chantelle St Clair, Charlie Wood
Royal Vauxhall Tavern • 25.Nov.21-6.Jan.22

Shut down by the pandemic lockdown just a few days into its run in 2020, the riotously silly Pricked returns to the Royal Vauxall Tavern stage with a few timely story tweaks, swapped-out musical numbers and two new cast members. While LAST YEAR'S PRODUCTION felt fresh and absurdly funny, this year's show has a ramshackle charm that holds the attention based more on the sheer energy of the cast than anything else. And for me it had a whiff of deja vu that made it feel even more topical.

The tale of Sleeping Beauty gives the story its structure, although director Tim McArthur crafts it into a wonderfully deranged pub show that's definitely not for kids. Each scene is a performance, almost like an audition, as the characters introduce themselves and chat to the audience before performing a song or two, drawing on a range of musical theatre numbers and pop tunes. Updates for this year include bracingly current references to politicians and popular culture, plus an inspired, deliberately corny Abba reunion sequence.

It's still the story of Princess Aurora (Cartwright), who has been cursed by Maleffluent (Polland) to fall into a deep sleep on her 18th birthday. But Fairy Merryweather (Penrose) and a passing Prince (St Clair) intervene, plotting to rescue Aurora from Maleffluent and her conflicted sidekick Raven (Wood). None of these characters seem to have a clue what's going on around them, played amusingly by a gender-scrambled cast that continually questions the things written for them to do in the script. This includes getting impatient with the dream sequences and flashbacks that distract them along the way to the glorious holiday-themed wedding finale.

With boundless energy and considerable vocal skill, each performer dives into the wackiness, dropping in barbed asides and a continual stream of throwaway gags alongside the expected smut and innuendo. This means that quite a bit of dialog gets muffled in the mayhem, but the atmosphere is so bawdy and enjoyable that it never matters. And with lighter pandemic restrictions this year, the audience can more properly get involved with call-and-response moments, including lots of cheering, booing and singing along with the cast.

photos by Chris Jepson • 26.Nov.21

Stage: Four chairs and a keyboard

Title of Show
dir Robert McWhir
music/lyrics Jeff Bowen • book Hunter Bell
Above the Stag, Vauxhall • 13.Feb-10.Mar.19

The intimate space at Above the Stag is a perfect venue for this meta-musical, which is engaging and funny for a general audience and jam-packed with references for theatre fans. Cheeky and just a bit naughty, it's a brisk and likeable show that has a clever rough-around-the-edges feel to it.

At the centre are the composer Jeff (Jordan Fox) and his writer pal Hunter (Michael Vinsen), young guys in New York dreaming of seeing their work on Broadway. With a theatre festival coming up, they decide to create the perfect musical together, struggling against the usual distractions - basically anything is easier than writing. As they settle on developing a musical about two guys trying to develop a musical, they bring in friends Heidi and Susan (Kirby Hughes and Natalie Williams) to play their friends and collaborate on creating the characters and songs. And they have so much fun working on this that they hate to think of it ending.

As it nods to everything from Rent to Carrie, the clever script also takes the time to dig into some deeper themes. Jeff and Hunter understand that they'd have a better chance at success with some stunt casting ("Paris Hilton as Mame!"), and they also face the dilemma between holding fast to their artistic integrity or compromising to bring their work to a larger audience. The sense of their yearning for success is vivid, as is the work they have to do to maintain their friendships. All four cast members explore these edgier elements while at the same time adding constant comical touches. As staged in this space, these are demanding physical performances that make fine use of the knowingly witty songs, scrappy choreography and lively interaction with each other as well as their sardonic keyboardist Larry (played by musical director Aaron Clingham).

Everything unfolds as a knowing pastiche, constantly referring to itself as a musical about a musical, playfully circling around the dialog and dropping punchlines everywhere. It's often very funny, although perhaps not as consistently hilarious as it should be (most notably Williams' Susan, a Megan Mullally type who is amusing but never steals the show). Thankfully each of the characters is strongly sympathetic, easy to identify with and willing to dive into both the big gags and the more subtle wordplay. And the interpersonal drama manages to be touching too. Theatre fans definitely won't want to miss this.