Theatre SLEEPING BEAUTY Oran Mor, Glasgow, until Sat 18 Dec ●●●●●
www.list.co.uk/theatre
Penned by panto veterans David MacLennan and Dave Anderson, Oran Mor’s 2010 lunchtime Christmas show for adults is another ‘alternative’ affair, wringing its topical laughs this time out of austerity Britain.
The popular tale of the pretty princess pricked – or make that ‘savagely cut’ – by the spinning wheel of a wicked wench (Juliet Cadzow’s Bad Fairy of the Soo’Side) inexplicably collides with The Wizard of Oz in a two-for-one. Dorothy arrives as the naïve, toy dog clutching damsel in distress, before strangely transforming into a horny minx ‘gantin’ for a grope’ from the sparkling Sandy Nelson’s Commoner Formerly Known as Prince. It’s a bit of a dog’s dinner, but plenty
of fun. Recruiting the titular napping noblewoman from the crowd is a nice budget-saving trick. It’s audience participation a go-go at the climax as Nelson ventures forth unfussily in search of smooch, then Anderson as the court jester leads the throng – good lefty that he is – in a rousing chorus of ‘we’ll all fight the cuts’. (Malcolm Jack)
Y A D T R E B O R
THE THREE MUSKETEERS Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, until Fri 24 Dec ●●●●●
Alexandre Dumas’ legendary trio undergo a bawdy reinvention in Chris Hannan’s new Christmas play for the Traverse. It retains the story’s core characters – the eponymous musketeers, plus d’Artagnan and archetypal pantomime villain Cardinal Richelieu – but adds several silly dimensions, including a bizarre male pregnancy and an extended farting sequence.
At times, the narrative chaos is grating and the constant mild ribaldry justifies its eight years and up age recommendation. But this Dominic Hill-directed
production is ultimately great fun. The energetic cast perform the riveting swordfights and occasional musical numbers with equal deftness and Colin Richmond’s expansive set is particularly mesmerising. Most impressive is the baby-eating monster Lord Mandible, portrayed by a skeletal puppet so huge it draws a few frightened gasps from younger audience members.
And while parts are overdone and others drag impatiently, the joyful final scenes create a warm atmosphere that’s comfortingly festive despite its non-Christmassy setting. (Yasmin Sulaiman)
THE SNOW QUEEN Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, until Fri 31 Dec ●●●●●
Dear festive theatre-goer, don’t let yourself be misled this Christmas. (And no, we don’t mean about Father Christmas.) Don’t be taken in by the sleek, icy blue publicity for this year’s Lyceum Christmas production – for this show is as bold and bumptious as many a panto worth its salt. In the venerable tradition of the baddies getting the best lines,
Cobweb the spider, the Snow Queen’s nasty-piece-of-work sidekick, is easily the most appealing character for young and old alike, leaving the goodies looking rather tedious by comparison, and certainly not worthy of our identification. Having eschewed the dark and sinister side of the fairytale in favour of a flirtation with farce, it sometimes feels like this show is treading a rather unsteady line between pantomime and theatre – with the best bits undoubtedly when it embraces the silliness, as with the antics of the three daft robbers and their formidable mistress.
The stunning sets deserve mention for their size, beauty and number, and the humour and scariness levels are well-pitched for a young audience. Overall, the magic is still there – aided greatly by the gift of an early blanket of snow beyond the auditorium walls. (Laura Ennor)
16 Dec 2010 – 6 Jan 2011 THE LIST 99
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