Once upon a time we were going to potted panto! Oh no weren’t!.. Such was our tale of woe over the last two years when the pandemic put a stop to seasonal merriment. Now the past is behind us, sort of – number one child reviewer is absent with the lurgy – and Panto season is before us once more and the smiles on the faces of the theatre staff are as glowing as the ones in the Stalls, write Ed and Woody Gray.
According to the Theatre Trust, pantomimes account for 30% of a theatre’s income, they are therefore the lifeblood of British theatre, and we are all pumped up to be taking our seats in the plush red velvet interior of Shaftesbury Avenue’s Apollo Theatre. The Apollo first opened its doors in 1901 and is named appropriately enough after the Greek god of the arts and leader of the muses.
Our muses today are Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner and this is Dan and Jeff’s 12th outing as the stars of Olivier-nominated Potted Panto. They lost out on their Olivier award to mind-wizard Derren Brown and in an ironic twist that no one could have foreseen – well almost no one – Derren is also currently enjoying a run of shows at The Apollo.
The pair have lost none of their sparkle as they rattle energetically through six of the best pantos in 70 minutes to the delight of an audience much in need of traditional British mirth-making. Double entendre, cross-dressing men in fancy frocks, jokes about the cost-of-living crisis, the Prince’s balls, oui oui and the John Lewis ad fill the auditorium as we marvel at the speed of their costume changes. Huzzah! we all sighed internally as hapless audience member ‘Princess’ Harry was plucked from the front row and made to dance seductively for Prince Charming.
The puppetry was a highlight for our youngest reviewer, especially the fairies and the monosyllabic ugly sister, that and the 3D experience with the sweet factory, Santa armed with a water gun and an inflatable dinosaur. We ended with the A Christmas Carol/Aladdin mash-up and as we stepped into a drizzly grey Soho afternoon it was as if we had been struck squarely in the face by the Magic Pie of Wakefulness. We longed to be back in the arms of Apollo, just so long as he was sporting frilly bloomers.
Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W1D 7EZ until 8th January. Times: Varied. See website for details. Admission: Admission: £20 – £35.
Booking: 0330 333 4809 – www.nimaxtheatres.com
