Producing a panto can be a lot like making porridge for Goldilocks. They can be too long or too short, too risqué or too tame, and occasionally too expensive while looking too cheap, but Regal Entertainments have got panto just right in their revival of Goldilocks and the Three Bears for the Epstein Theatre.
As a brand new show last year at the Epstein’s sister venue in St Helens, this reworking of the Three Bears story was certainly heading in the right direction, even if it fell a little wide of the mark in a few places. Restaged here, with several major tweaks, the producers and director have done all the right things make it into a Christmas cracker.
In this circus-themed show, the cast reunites David Tag as Ringmaster with Timothy Lucas’s Baron Von Vippemall and Olivia Sloyan as Goldilocks, while Sloyan also steps into the directorial position too, following her success at the helm of Jack and the Beanstalk and The Wizard of Oz for Regal.
Joining them are Mama G as Dame Gertie and Brandon McCaffrey as Silly Billy, and a wonderfully well matched trio of bears in Benjamin Keith, Hannah Riley and Katy Mac. Mama G brings us a very modern take on the traditional pantomime dame, with all the glitz you would expect blended with a genuinely lovable delivery of dialogue. It packs a witty punch without ever overstepping the line. McCaffrey’s Silly Billy too is played for maximum likeability, and he also succeeds in slipping in the occasional subtle innuendo whilst maintaining a glorious innocence.
Reece Sibbald’s storyline works around the Three Bears fable rather than telling it straight. Here our ursine family are performers in Gertie’s circus, stolen by the evil Baron Von Vippemal for his rival show. It’s up to Goldilocks, along with Gertie’s swashbuckling ringmaster, to set them free.
Yes – Tag is a former soap star – but cast aside any cynicism, because he has huge charisma and can really hold the audience. He has made this part his own, as has Sloyan, whose Goldilocks is no simpering heroine here. But the runaway star of this show is none other than the incomparable Lucas, whose Baron Von Vippemall is a creation that has to be seen to be believed. This character and Lucas’s performance are absolute pantomime gold-dust.
And the gold dust has found its way not only all over David Tag’s torso, but it sparkles on the big-top inspired set and costumes too. Added to this are a multi-talented septet of dancers from Dynamix Performing Arts College. Not only do they provide the supporting choreography, but they also throw in an impressive range of circus skills.
This is a show that knows exactly what it’s doing. All the superfluous flummery has been jettisoned in favour of energy, pace and colour, and a script that is naughtily funny without resorting to jokes that would be hard to explain to the kids on the journey home. Regal Entertainments and the Epstein have tuned this one to perfection.
 |
| The cast of Goldilocks and the Three Bears - production photograpy © David Munn |
 |
| Timothy Lucas as Baron Von Vippemal |
 |
| Mama G as Dame Gertie |
Star rating: 5 stars
This review was originally written for publication by Good News Liverpool
Comments
Post a Comment