Stage: Step back in time

Growled: Beauty and the Beast Continues...
by Paul Joseph, Tim Benzie
director Tim McArthur
with Lucy Penrose, Matthew Ferry, Ada Campe, Robert McNeilly, Jo Wickham, Katherine Leyva 
musical director Annemarie Lewis Thomas
costumes Michelle Taylor • set Jessie Huckin
sound and lighting Andy Hill
Royal Vauxhall Tavern, London • 25.Nov.25-3.Jan.26 ★★★★

Each year, the Christmas pantomime at Royal Vauxhall Tavern is a joyous explosion of pure silliness, playfully indulging in time-honoured traditions while giving everything a happily queer spin. This year's show plays out like a deranged sequel to Beauty and the Beast that has been spiked with multiverse nonsense, audience interaction, fresh gags and musical numbers ranging from Broadway classics to current pop hits. And while it's never as sexy as we wish it would be, it's a generous blast of festive fun.

The plot catches up with Belle (Lucy Penrose) as she is now married to the Prince (Matthew Ferry) and bored with the life of a happily-ever-after princess. And the Prince is longing to once again run wild in the woods with his furry friends. Meanwhile, Mrs Spout (Robert McNeilly in the panto dame role) hopes to complete her transition from crockery to human. And the sneering villain Asston (Jo Wickham) is conniving to get Belle for himself. Enter Belle's father the Inventorer (Ada Campe, also gender-swapping), who has built a time machine (played by perpetually sidelined "understudy" Katherine Leyva) that propels everyone back two years so they can sort out the mess before it happens.

As these characters meet their past selves, things get so convoluted that even the cast members struggle to maintain the narrative thread. Of course, this doesn't matter at all, as they continually break out into an eclectic range of songs, augmented by outrageously ridiculous props and hilarious throwaway gags. There's even a witty nod to the West End's recent Evita triumph as Belle ventures to an upstairs window to croon If I Could Turn Back Time to fans gathered in the street. The ghost of Laurence Fox makes a menacing appearance. And Asston poses as an AI bot to cause mischief at the Beast's big ball.

Marginally less chaotic than previous years, this show is able to mix the usual self-aware mayhem with slickly realised theatricality. It's perhaps even more well-honed this year than the performers seem to believe. Indeed, this cast is especially strong, properly skilled actor-singers who belt out the numbers with power while diving into the colourful costumes and goofy choreography with gusto. Penrose shines as always, and Ferry is adorable. The understudy even gets her big One Moment in Time, complete with a timeless spotlight gag. As required, everything ends in an unexpected wedding (or two) and a generous blast of Mariah to get us in the holiday spirit.

For details, RVT >

photos by Chris Jepson • 25.Nov.25

Stage: Spilling the beans

Tossed
The RVT Panto
by Tim Benzie, Paul Joseph
director Tim McArthur
musical director Vicki Calver 
with Ed Cooke, Leigh Pollard, Grace Kelly Miller, Ada Campe, Ben Hutt
Royal Vauxhall Tavern, London • 29.Nov.23-5.Jan.24 ★★★★

Taking their usual hilarious approach to the Christmas pantomime, Royal Vauxhall Tavern follows Rubbed, Slipped, Goosed, Pricked and Cracked with Tossed, a delightfully deranged sequel to Jack and the Beanstalk. While the structure is very familiar, the cast has been completely refreshed with a wonderfully up-for-it ensemble, and the jokes are right up to date with the messy reality of British politics. It's a perfect antidote to the usual holiday sweetness, although there's some of that too.

Narrated by the now-talking cow Daisy (Miller), the plot is fairly irrelevant, set after Jack (Cooke) has risen to social media fame as a giant killer, but he's wondering what he should do next. Meanwhile, his overambitious mother Spriggins (Hutt) is angling for him to marry into even more money, and the most likely candidate is Gina T (Pollard), a human-sized giant who is on a mission to avenge her fallen relative. And then there's Sorcererer (Campe), an endlessly mischievous magician who is happy to meddle.

Livening all of this up is a steady barrage of innuendo, rude jokes and knowingly hilarious references to things like reality TV, Britain's disastrous Tory government (including the ghost of Liz Truss) and the scandal-plagued royal family. Among the flurry of sharply performed songs that have been adapted to tell this story, there are new hits like Kylie's Padam Padam and Sam Ryder's Space Man, iconic tunes like Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It), Love Shack and (I've Had) The Time of My Life, belters like Don't Stop Believin' and Mamma Mia, and the Barry Manilow/Take That classic Could It Be Magic (plus a bit of on-stage magic).

As always, the audience participation elements feel rather repetitive, including a witty and enjoyably frantic variation on 12 Days of Christmas and a climactic singalong. And each character's call-and-response gag kind of gets lost in the shuffle, as it should. But there are also riotously amusing running gags, such as Dame Spriggins pointlessly begging the audience to please not boo her. And the hilarious choreography and snappy wordplay livens up the bonkers plot, as does the chaotic slapstick and a late connection to the enduring queer scene in Vauxhall.

For information, ROYAL VAUXHALL TAVERN >

photos by Chris Jepson • 1.Dec.23 

Stage: Music and comedy all summer long

Cabaret Lounge
Summer 2021 • Above the Stag, Vauxhall
For full listings, visit: CABARET LOUNGE

At the launch of the summer season at Above the Stag Theatre's Cabaret Lounge, attendees were treated to a delicious array of performances, a sampling of events to come over the next few months. The lounge is a glittering space (literally, glitter covers almost every surface, including the grand piano) that has a terrific sense of intimacy as the audience sits at tables with continuous service from a friendly bar staff, and the performers are close enough to almost touch, pandemic restrictions notwithstanding.

Performances at the launch represented a sampling of what's on offer, so check out the website for full details. They're listed here in the order they'll be taking over the stage...

With her powerful voice, Nicole Faraday (My Life in Song, 25th June) is adept at belting out big songs. And there's a honeyed quality that adds subtle texture at every step, especially when she delivers a number from her idol Karen Carpenter. Simply gorgeous. The launch event was hosted by the sparky, mischievous Ada Campe (Jollies, 26th June), whose fabulously funny personality is infectious. She's riotously enthusiastic, and skilfully dives into her nutty songs with an engaging cheekiness. And then there's Helen Anker (The Essence of Audrey, 27th June and 4th July), who brings Audrey Hepburn vividly to life. Her casually open-hearted storytelling is funny and riveting, as she shares anecdotes and trivia. Stories about making Roman Holiday are hilarious, and her stripped-back rendition of Moon River from Breakfast at Tiffany's is powerfully moving.

The lounge is programmed by Tim McArthur, a cabaret star in his own right, and he has a few nights of his own, taking to the stage in conversation with the likes of journalist Matt Cain (27th June) and iconic comic Helen Lederer (4th July). He's also hosting Secret Star (8th July), a wonderfully queer spin on The Masked Singer featuring West End stars in silly disguises. The engaging couple Chris Hamilton & Shimi Goodman (What a Time to Be Alive, 3rd July) are a pianist and actor-singer who delight in deconstructing pop songs into a range of random genres. And it helps that both are hugely talented, having a lot of optimistic, jaunty fun as they talk about their life together and their love of music. Sitting at a piano, Stefan Bednarczyk performs the songs of Noel Coward (10th July) with an easy authenticity, playfully getting into character to tell musical stories about unexpected romance.

Also at the piano, Ian Elmsie sings numbers from his musical Old Boyfriends (15th July), exploring deeper ideas about love. They're funny and romantic, and very involving. For a sassy change of pace Flat and the Curves (18th July) is a massively entertaining group of women who delight in performing hysterically rude songs. Their operatic ditty about porn is a deadpan delight. And their Abba-style song about how a visit to Ikea can devastate a relationship is priceless. With a mixture of performance art and old Hollywood glamour, Keith Ramsay (Eve: All About Her, 23rd July) offers fascinating, darkly meaningful music and storytelling. Haunted by the ghost of Judy Garland, he's utterly mesmerising. And finally, Rhys'Pieces (Queefy, 4th August) offers a stunningly original take on lip-synching, blurring genders as a hot muscle man dancing acrobatically in a skimpy leotard and thigh-high stilettos. His performances are full-on, seriously cool and evocative too. And his chatter in between numbers is charming.  

Meanwhile in the theatre space, CONTACT: STORIES OF DIVISION AND UNITY is a series of plays running through the summer exploring a range of buzzy topics like conversion therapy, social media shaming, first love and much more.