Panto is traditionally a time for people to let off steam, reawaken the inner child and return back to happier times of fairy tales, popcorn and silly jokes. It doesn’t matter how old you are, everyone enjoys having fun but sometimes the pantos on offer are still solely aimed at the children in the audience.
Well fear not grown ups for last night we watched a panto completely aimed at us – adult humour, adult jokes, adult language but still packed with child-like silliness.
Pussy in Boots is the Dick Whittingham tale thrown fair and square into the adult arena. Following tradition with the principal boy being played by a girl, Dick (Gemma Robinson) is the love struck poor boy who pines / lusts after Princess Rose, the virginal Eleaner Alderson. Desperate to win her hand (and the rest of her) he must prove to Rose’s mother that he is a worthy suitor. If only there was a way he could defeat some sort of evil ogre, rescue the girl and live happily ever after.
Cue the Count, the deliciously evil Sarah Oakland whose appearance meets with both boos and no shortage of lewd suggestive comments from the audience. The count plans to capture the Princess and take her to the Ogre, a mysterious being who in the interests of casting, costs and general desire, can take any form and as such never has to actually be seen as an ogre.
Of course, true to the tale, Dick is not alone in his quest, enter Pussy in Boots (Hayley-Marie Warters) – brilliantly funny, constantly teasing the audience (and the rest of the cast) and demonstrating that naughty pussies deserve the cream too.
Backed by dancers Victoria West, Kimberley Taylor and Louise Walker, the pace of the show is non-stop; sometimes planned, sometimes improvised but always funny and definitely naughty. Traditional elements (the “if I were not in Pantomime” song is breath stealingly funny), “he’s behind you” with a rather unique Christmas gimp and some pretty decent singing make sure this is not an Am Dram attempt at a Christmas show; it is a pantomime worthy of the title.
Tons of smut, loads of audience participation and buckets of condoms, this is a riot of fun and perfect for group night out, office party or a church road trip (well, perhaps not the last one) and one which I hope is replayed in the future. I will certainly be looking out for similar productions.