THEATRE LIST
pcrf 12. 25 Dec & 1 Jan. Humpty Dumpty undergoes a slight shock when he emerges from an egg. in which he has been incarcerated for the last century. and meets the dastardly Spiderwoman. Or is it Edwina Currie in mufti'.’ Designed by artist Simon Gooch. I lolanthe Theatre Royal. Hopc Street. Glasgow. 041331 1234/332 9000. Mon l9—Fri23. Wed 28—Fri3llDec. 7.15pm. 27 & 28 Dec. 2.15pm. £2.50—£12. OAPs halfprice for matineesonly; Under 16£2.50 Mon-Thurs; students and UB40s£2.50 standby only. Rikki Fulton movesout of panto and into song this Christmas. playing the Lord Chancellor in Gilbert and Sullivan's satirical operetta. See Feature. I Jack and the Beanstalk Kings Theatre. Bath Street. Glasgow. Tickets041 227 551 1. Until Sat 1 1 Feb. 7pm. Matinees Weds and Sats2.15pm. and every day during the weeks 26—31 Dec. 2—7 Jan. No perfs 25 Dec & 1 Jan. Seen last year in Edinburgh. the handsomely attired panto byJimmy Logan — see Review. I The Jungle Book Cumbernauld Theatre. Cumbernauld. 0236732887. Until Sat 31 Dec. 10am. 1.30pm & 7.30pm (except Sats 1.30 pm 8; 7.30pm only.) No perf 25 Dec. £3.50 (£2.50). Family ticket (two adults. two children) £10. The man-cub Mowgli. the lovable Baloo. the slinky Bagheera and the sinister Kaa are among those gracing the boards in Cumbernauld's Christmas Show this year — See Review. I Lucy and the Christmas Treasure Magnum Theatre. Harbourside. lrvine. (1294 78381. Until Sat 24 Dec. 21.23 Dec. 2.30pm 8: 7.30pm. 22 Dec. 1.45pm. & 24 Dec 2.30pm. Weekday mornings and afternoons £2.80 (£1 .80); Evenings and weekends £3.60 (£2.80). ()ne oftwo pantos from the indefatigable Borderline this year. this one is set on the high seas and incorporates lovely ladies the Alexander Sisters as Susie the Single Fish and Granny Green. I The Lunchpack of Boab 'n’ Tam Netherbow Arts Centre. 43 High Street. Edinburgh.031 556 9579. Until Sat 31 Dec. 7.30pm. also 3pm on 26. 27. 31 Dec. No perf 25 Dec. £3.50 (£2.50). The Old Town Theatre. a relatively new group of local people and professionals. in their latest show. which has. in common with their earlier ones. a definite local flavour. This Christmas comedy takes in funny business in high places like the City Chambers and St Giles‘ bell-tower. I The Magic Snowball Crawfurd Theatre. Jordanhill College of Education . Southbrae Drive. Glasgow. ()41 954 0000 & Ticket Centre. Candleriggs. ()41 227 551 1. Until Sat 7Jan. 2pm & 7.30pm every day except 24 & 31 Dec 10am & 2pm; No perfs 25. 26 Dec& 1.2 Jan. £2.50—£4.50depcnding on day and concessions — please check with box office. Wildcat revive last year‘s successful Christmas show — see Review. I Mother Goose King‘s Theatre. 2 Leven Street. Edinburgh.031 229 1201. Until Sat 18 Feb. Mon—Sat 7pm. Weeks beginning 26 Dec & 2 Jan. every Sat & Wed. & Dec22. 23. 24. Feb 1.3. & 6. also 2.15pm. Noperf Dec 25. Jan 1.£4.75—£6.75 (£2.75—£3.75)..
Walter Carr stars in this year‘s panto — See '
Review.
I Oklahoma!
Playhouse Theatre. 18—22 Greenside Place. Edinburgh. 031 557 2590 (group bookings 031 5570540). Tue 20 Dec—Sat 7 Jan. 7.30pm. Wed & Sat mats 2.30pm. No evg perfs 24 & 31 Dec. £4.50—£8.50(concs £2 off). Cowboys and cowgirls and ‘Oh What A Beautiful Morning!‘ in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical classic.
I The Other Cinderella
Adam House Theatre. Chambers Street. Edinburgh. Tickets 031 228 l 155.
Tue 27—Sat 31 Dec. 27 & 31 Dec.2.30pm. 5.30pm. 28—30 Dec. 7pm. Edinburgh Graduate Theatre Group in a Christmas show.
I Peter and Penny's Panto
Palace Theatre. 9 Green Street. Kilmarnock. 0563 23590. lintil Fri 30 Dec. 2pm every day except 22. 23. 27 Dec. 7.30pm. 28-30 Dec also at 7.30pm. .\'o perfs 25 at 26 Dec. lives £4.10(£31.10);Sat mats £3. 11) (£2. 10); Weekday mats £2. 10. The second of Borderline‘s pantos in which Peter and Penny are called upon to assist the Great Merlin to dispel a nasty magician stealing GM‘s spells. Also features Hairy-Mary the Govan Fairy a local phenomenon with which the SNP are going to have to come to terms.
I Pinocchio
Citizens Theatre. Gorbals. Glasgow . (141 4290022. Until Sat 21 Jan. 7pm on 21.23. 2&30Dec.2—6.9.11.13.16.l8—2tlJan; 2pm on 19—22. 24. 26-31 Dec. 2—5. 7. 10—14. 16—19. 21 Jan: 10amon 22 Dec. 10. 12. l7Jan;5pm on 24. 31 Dec. 7. 14.21 .lan; 8pm on 7. 14. 21 Jan. £2—£4.50. The little chap with the expanding rich and the expendable strings is the subject of'this year's Christmas Show at the Citz — See Review.
I Robert Brothers Circus
SECC Finnieston. 041 248 3000. L'ntil Thurs 15 Jan. Closed 25 Dec. Times vary. contact venue. The well-known international circus. which includes
animal acts. makes its fourth appearance here.
I The Snow Queen
Royal Lyceum. Grindlay Street. Edinburgh. 031 2299697. Until Sat 7Jan. 7pm every evening except Sat 24 Dec. No performance Sun 25 Dec. Also at 2.30pm Thurs 22—Sat 31 Dec. Weds 4 & Sat 7 Dec. £2.50—£7. TheatreSaver holders£l off. Family ticket £5. plus up to four more stall seats for £2. 21) each. The Lyceum bring back. redesigned and rewritten. one of Stuart Paterson‘s earliest and finest Christmas shows. featuring the frosty. spectacularly nasty. Snow Queen - Sce Review.
I Snow White
Pavilion Theatre. 121 chficld Street. Glasgow. 041 332 1846. UntilSat 28Jan. 7.30pm. Matinees 2.30pm every day between 17 & 31 Dcc.and7. 14.218: 18
Jan. £3.50—£5.50 (£2.50—£3.50). No perfs
25 Dec & 1 Jan. Andy Cameron heads up this year‘s annual panto from Radio Clyde. in the company of Sheila Greir. Gary Marshall and seven mini-miners.
I Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs MacRobcrt Arts Centre. Universityof
Stirling. (1786 61081. Until Sat 7Jan. 2.30 8: 7.30pm every day except 23rd (5 &
8pm) and 31st (2 & 6pm). £6 (£3). Whois the fairest in the land?‘.’ See Review.
I The Tree That Woke Up
Mitchell Theatre. Granville Street. Glasgow. Tue 3—Sat 7 Jan. 7.30pm & 5 & 7
Jan. 2.30pm. £4.50 (£3): Matinees £3 (£2).1 A fable by Murray Watts about a mysterious tree that will only flower when someone is determined to discover its secret. Presented by the touring company. Riding Lights.
I Walt Disney's World On Ice
Edinburgh Exhibition and Trade Centre. lngliston. Edinburgh. Tue 10—Sun 22Jan. Tue—Sat 7.30pm; Weekday mats at 4pm on 12. 13. 18Jan;specialschool mat.noon on 19 Jan; Sat mats noon and 3.30pszun mats noon and 3.30pm. No Monday performances. £7.50/£9. Opening night all seats £3 off. Concs for weekday performances and Sat mat at noon— children under 12 and OAl’s £3 off. School mat all tickets £5.50. A happy birthdav extravaganza for Donald Duck. the ' rumour being that the birthday boy himself will attend the celebrations. along with a host ofother Disney characters.
I Three Wee Kings
Rosebery Hall. South Queensferry. Tue 20—Thurs 22 Dec. 7.30pm. £2 (£1 ). Tickets 031 557 2480. Theatre Alba present an updated version of the Nativity Story. set on a building site in South Oueensferry and featuring a young couple called Mary and Joseph McFarlanc. and three young local lads who see an unusually bright star. Don‘t know quite how they're going to work the shepherds in. but never mind. Directed by Charles Nowosielski. music by Richard Cherns.
REVIEWS
THE SNOW QUEEN
Lyceum, Edinburgh
The music was scarey at first. Then the sun magician told us about the Wicked Queen and her plan to capture a boy, so she could change the weather to winter all the time - but we were not to be afraid.
I like the Snow Queen. She was beautiful, with her white coat and long nails. She takes Kay away to her place and Gerda goes to look for him. On the way she meets a lot of funny people.
There were lots of funny characters to see. The crows, Scuff and Peck, made me laugh because we had to shout to them shut ydur beak. The robbers were funny too - they can’t steal for toffee, or dance.
With the help of reindeer, Gerda saved Kay and all the snow people from the wicked Snow Queen's spell. It was sad when the Queen died.
(Caroline Renwick, aged 6) The Snow Queen run is extended until
GPOl’ch ,3
JACK AND THE BEANSTALK
Kings Theatre, Glasgow
11 Santa ever gets round to leading a revolutionary tartan army of variety artistes, then this might well be his choice of not-so-secret weapon: total pantomime and not for wimps either. Forget Stealth bombers and CIA undercover cover-ups, here comes Jimmy Logan's Tina Turner impression.
From the moment the curtain rises, the stage erupts into a rainbow-coloured maelstrom of set and costume changes, awesomely tacky humour, slushy crooning and mile-wide smiles as far as the eye can see. It’s all here— Daisy the dancing cow, lyric boards dropping like flies from the flies, angelic chorus girls and the jokes about Neighbours. About a third of the two hours is given over to the tedious formality of actually telling the story, so there is plenty of time for
The Robbers in The Snow Queen. drawn by George Renwick, aged 9
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the essentials. Don’t let any of these post-modern panto directors con you into believing that kids are really into narrative —they want sweets, shouting, gags with sausages and the Ghoslbusters theme tune.
The King‘s Theatre management seem to have adopted a ‘safety first‘ policy of segregation similar to that employed in dividing cars and lorries on cross-channel ferries: over-60’s on the bottom deck and under~12's on the top. This means that you can have a radically different theatrical experience depending on your age and familial status, so chose your seat with care.
This is pantomime in all its glittering glory and what Jimmy Logan, Una McLean et al do, they do with unabashed skill and zest. It certainly won‘t entertain everyone but you might be pushed to get hold of a ticket in the coming weeks. (Simon Bayly)
THE MAGIC SNOWBALL
Wildcat Theatre Company, Crawfurd Theatre, Jordanhill College, Glasgow Wildcat‘s Christmas show, a slightly altered version of last year’s, is very much a traditional pantomime, whose main aim is simply to involve children in an exciting, funny and magical adventure which will leave them with the general impression that good does (or at least should) triumph over evil.
In this it succeeds entirely. The story is uncluttered but eventful, the songs are up to Wildcat’s usual standard and the cast is enthusiastic and energetic, notably Judy Sweeney, who this year replaces Elaine Collins as Fleas the Cat, and Steve Kettley, better known as a scorching saxophonist, who turns in a couple of excellent comic roles. There are a few moments of clumsy staging, and the love duet is too static to interest young children , but the overall pace, colour, music and frequent climaxes create an atmosphere of enchantment which had hundreds of children
The List 23 Dec 1988— 12 Jan 198927