FEATURE PANTO REVIEWS

Fantastioll

All over central Scotland, curtains have been raised on this year’s crop of festive spectaculars. Our dedicated team have risked life, limb and audience participation to report back. Ellie Carr. Neil Cooper, Brian Donaldson, Kelly McMenamin. Jim Mason. Claire Prentice and Fiona Shepherd looked behind them.

THE WIZARD DF 02

Citizens’ Theatre, until Sat 18 Jan. Giles Havergal directs a splendid cast in this faithful stage version of the classic tale - faithful to the film that is. The transformation from grey Kansas to multi-coloured 02, the fantasy of the Emerald City and the sinister Wicked Witch Of The West are all present. The only departure is the fully-grown, afro-wigged Munchkins. Special mentions go to Michael Roberts as the camp Cowardly lion and Jenny the unfazed terrier who trots on and off as Toto.

magic and adventure :4) slapstick and knockabout L3) cheesy groaners smut and innuendo - vile villains (4) men in frocks - celeb count top tunes .47.: sloppy smooches - singalongs a sweetie showers

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glitz, glamour and pzazz

Thrills and spills on the stage and pandemonium in the aisles make this ideal entertainment for kids but adults weaned on the film should not be disappointed either. (F8)

THE SINGING KETTLE’S CHRISTMAS WISHES

SECC. until Sat 28 Dec.

Join the legendary kettle crew for their festive foray through the Technicolor land of wishes. Taking a cue from Lionel Blair. the posse turn clues into music. delivering songs both old and new in slick procession. It‘s a blend which makes fora kind of funked-up school concert.

magic and adventure (3) slapstick and knockabout (i) cheesy groaners smut and innuendo vile villians men in frocks - celeb count (4)

(well they are TV stars) top tunes (4? sloppy smooches singalongs 5/ sweetie showers - glitz. glamour and pzazz (SD

A story would have been nice for the oldies, but these folks know their audience so much so that crowd control can be a bit of a problem! (CP)

ELEM!— THE eonnowens

Cartier Theatre. until Sat 4 Jan.

The colourful set is one of the better things about this adaptation of Mary Norton's classic children‘s tale about little people from under the floorboards who only surface to ‘borrow‘ useful anefacts from the ‘human beans‘. The cast of three have their work cut out to keep the assembled schoolkids from Iidgeting. given the lack of opportunity for audience participation.

tnagic and adventure 2. slapstick and knockabout .1. cheesy groaners smut and innuendo - vile villains Just a disembodied voice men in frocks celeb count « top ttmes sloppy smooches singalongs sweetie showers glitz. glamour and pzazz

A children‘s show without any specific seasonal relevance. Hence. few panto credentials. Fablevision go fora faithful adaptation. when they could have played with the format. (FS)

EDINBURGH 0F HETTLES AND ROSES

Theatre Workshop, until Tue 24 Dec. This adaptation of an ancient Yiddish tale sees our heroine cast out by her evil stepmother and endowed with magical powers by the water spirits. A handsome prince, naturally, becomes entranced by her, only for the most brutal tragedy to strike.

l/‘M ‘-

‘A fine-tuned table with a message’: The Pied Piper 0f Hamelln at Cumbernauld Theatre

magic and adventure (5) slapstick and knockabout 2'3) cheesy groaners (3) smut and innuendo - vile villains (3)

men in frocks - celeb count -

top tunes (4) sloppy smooches ® singalongs <2) sweetie showers - glitz, glamour and plan a.

The mixture of Jewish folklore and traditional-style panto routines is a triumph. Well designed, well performed and well worth any extra

Yuletide pennies that may be floating

about. (so)

CUMBERNAULD

THE PIED PIPER 0F HAMELIH

Cam/)ernaald Theatre. tutti! Sat 28 Der:

Council corruption leads to city fathers breaking a bargain with the charismatic piper and pest controller extraordinaire. He gets revenge by leading local teenies astray in mass musical migration. Scruftbag Henrik cleans up his act to save his precious Heidi and pet pooch Patch. encountering assorted worldly ills before doing that pauper-to-prince

‘A triumph’t 0f Nettles And noses at Theatre Workshop

MARC MARNIE

type thing.

magic and adventure slapstick and knockabout cheesy groaners

smut and innuendo vile villain Dirty rats a-plenty men in frocks Do dog-suits count? celeb count

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top tunes (3) sloppy smooches Heidi-hi singalongs

sweetie showers glitz. glamour and pzazz @

Bit of politics never goes amiss in panto-land. and Simon Sharkey's PC version is a fine-tuned fable with a message. with stim'ng music and impressive execution despite limited resources. (NC)

PAISLEY

JACK AND THE

BEANSTALK

Paisley Arts Centre, until Sat 28 Dec. Money-grabbing monarch overtaxes subjects via unseen threat of overgrown offspring. Rich get richer, poor get poorer scenario nipped in the bud by Jack, who aspires to be a lad like big brother Bill. The beans he gets for selling family cow shoot him straight to the top, where he finds a lonely giant, in writer/director David Wallace’s neat humanistic twist which avoids slapping on sicky schmaftz. IIeat puppetry, including a stalk straight out of little Shop of Honors.

magic and adventure slapstick and knockabout cheesy groaners

smut and innuendo

vile villains

men in frocks

celeb count

top tunes

sloppy smooches singalongs

sweetie showers

glitz, glamour and plan

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PAGE keep it up for another year of panto par excellence, which manages to combine all the best trad elements with a modern enough feel to give the kids what they want. (ID)

14’The List l3 Dec I996-9 Jan I997