Stage: A gleeful panto mashup

Potted Panto
by Daniel Clarkson, Jefferson Turner, Richard Hurst
director Richard Hurst
with Daniel Clarkson, Jefferson Turner, Marie-Claire Wood, Sammy Johnson
sets Simon Scullion • costumes Nicky Bunch
music Phil Innes • lighting Tim Mascall
Wilton's Music Hall, London • 4.Dec.24-4.Jan.25 ★★★★★

First staged in 2010, this show has become a perennial hit with audiences for the way it cleverly mashes up Britain's holiday pantomime tradition into a high-energy comedy extravaganza. And even after more than a decade, Potted Panto still has the feel of improvised chaos in the way it weaves together a blinding array of hilarious references, from classic shows to comical riffs on this week's news headlines. Indeed, creator-stars Dan and Jeff show no signs of slowing down.

The idea is to take the audience on a whistle-stop tour of Christmas pantomimes, as the intentional Jeff introduces the six key fairy tales that are retold in these stage productions each year. Although the clownish Dan wants to include other classics like Mary Poppins, A Christmas Carol, The Sound of Music and the John Lewis Christmas advert. After a brisk history of panto traditions, the first up is Jack and the Beanstalk, although since all the roles are being played by the two of them, Dan can only play the back half of Jack's cow. He also does the traditional gender swap to play Jack's mother ... as Dame Barbara Cartland.

In Dick Whittington, the panto tradition of audience call-and-response comes into play, plus a gorgeous fairy surprise (Wood). Sleeping Beauty introduces the ghost gag (it's behind you!) and Dan's ridiculously preening Prince Charming, who pops up again in both Cinderella and Snow White, which is performed, more or less, in traditional rhyme. Finally, Dan subverts Jeff's attempt to play out Aladdin by turning it into A Christmas Carol instead.

All of this is performed as a riot of physical slapstick and cheeky vulgarity, with a fiendishly clever stage set, quick-change costumes and wigs galore. The script is packed with a constant stream of meta gags, plus the expected double entendres, puns (sheik your booty), wacky musical numbers and constant malapropisms (a moose lays the golden egg). There's a 3D chase through the woods that involves Santa and a water gun. Children in the audience come up with the final punishments for the villains. And of course it ends with a big singalong.

Frankly, this is the kind of show that you wouldn't mind watching each year, as it brings together everything you love about pantos with a fresh blast of chaotic energy. And we don't have to worry about the over-familiar plots, because Dan and Jeff subvert them hilariously with a constant barrage of surprises, twists and knowing gags that play beautifully on the joys of live theatre. So in the end, it's both a celebration of a centuries-old musical-comedy artform and a gleefully silly night out.

For info, WILTON'S MUSIC HALL > 

photos by Geraint Lewis • 6.Dec.24

Stage: Past the wit of man to say what dream it was

FLABBERGAST THEATRE’S
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
by William Shakespeare
director/designer Henry Maynard
with Lennie Longworth, Reanne Black, Krystian Godlewski, Simon Gleave, Elliot Pritchard, Vyte Garriga, Nadav Burstein, Paulina Krzeczkowska
music Nick Hart • lighting Rachel Shipp
Wilton's Music Hall, London • 9-20.Apr.24 ★★

As with last year's staging of The Tragedy of MacBeth, Flabbergast presents Shakespeare's oft-performed comedy in a blindingly impenetrable flurry of lavish costumes, masks, puppets and outrageous physicality. There are moments of genius along the way, with a playful play on gender and clever touches that are hilarious, moving and strikingly visual. Those who know the play well will find plenty to enjoy. Others will struggle to understand much of the over-performed dialog, which makes it impossible to get involved in the story. So the farce begins to feel like it will never end.

Set in Athens, this is the lively multi-strand story of four lovelorn young people lost in a forest where fairies are manipulating their emotions. Hermia and Lysander (Krzeczkowska and Pritchard) are trying to run away together, while Hermia's best friend Helena (Garriga) wants to capture her crush Demetrius (Burstein). Fairy Queen Titania and King Oberon (Black and Godlewski) use the sprite Puck (Longworth) to manipulate their affections, but get tricked themselves. Meanwhile, a troupe of actors led by the preening Bottom (Gleave) gets entangled in the chaos.

The lushly cluttered set features a large carriage, as if a theatre company stopped alongside the road to perform for us. This gives the show an intriguing timeless feel, and we can almost imagine the play being put on like this 400 years ago. With colourful costumes and props, and a clever use of the venue, the actors invest their full bodies into these roles, creating sparky personalities, big emotions and pointed interaction. Standout turns from the clownishly gifted Godlewski and the fearlessly silly Gleave keep us laughing; they and others provide a few moments of pathos. The entire cast has such a big stage presence, overflowing with cheeky energy, that it's fun to watch, even if we can only rarely make out the words spoken in such a range of accents amid constant physical movement.

Punctuated by group sing-songs, wildly energetic action and of course an entire play within the play, there's plenty here to hold the attention, even if the incomprehensible delivery makes it feel like it drags on far too long. What's most surprising is that there's nothing particularly new or enlightening about this production, which for all its irreverence is slavishly respectful toward both Shakespeare's play and traditional performances of it. Perhaps Flabbergast needs to more inventively adapt their approach to their audience, because this production feels like it's only made to please themselves.

For details, WILTON'S MUSIC HALL >

photos by Michael Lynch • 10.Apr.24