ALADDIN at the Oxford Playhouse

ALADDIN at the Oxford Playhouse

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A particular combination of satire, wit, silliness and audience participation, pantomime remains a singularly British tradition and obsession, and the last remnants of a British variety tradition. No-where else would you see a cross-dressing dame camping it up and taking centre stage . . . And so it is with this year’s jamboree of Aladdin at the Oxford Playhouse, written and directed for the first time by Steve Marmion, artistic director of the Soho Theatre, and he misses none of the panto classics with slapstick, sing-a-long tunes and innuendos aplenty.

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SMASHER at the Wardrobe Theatre, Bristol

SMASHER at the Wardrobe Theatre, Bristol

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Following the sell-out success of Vanity Bites Back at the Tobacco Factory in October, Helen Duff was back in Bristol last night with Smasher. This new show has some similarities with its predecessor, as once again she tackles a taboo subject with a mix of clowning, story-telling and a great deal of audience participation . . . Duff is at her best once she allows her story-telling skills to come to the fore, using her many other skills to underpin a strong narrative line. She has a five-star personality and is a talented and original comic; I will certainly look out for her next time she’s in town.

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WENDY AND PETER PAN at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford

WENDY AND PETER PAN at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford

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Traditional pantomimes are not the only Christmas shows in town. Although the other shows dispense with the dame, the Good Fairy, Baron Hard-up and a slosh scene they still manage to conjure up all the magic and, more importantly, all the fun. The RSC’s Wendy and Peter Pan at Stratford has all that and a lot of thrills and drama as well . . . This is a spectacular production with the most amazing transformation as the Lost Boys’ hide-away emerges from the stage. . . some spectacular flying too.

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THE LIGHT PRINCESS at the Bristol Tobacco Factory

THE LIGHT PRINCESS at the Bristol Tobacco Factory

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The Light Princess from Tobacco Factory Theatres in association with Peepolykus and directed by John Nicholson, succeeds on many levels. That something special was in the air was immediately apparent as you entered the theatre itself – the usual simple black-draped entrance had been transformed into a wall of trees and flowers twinkling with lights. A slight mist hung in the air, while large white candles marked out the front of the stage are a . . . deserves all the accolades that surely must come its way.

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THE NIGHT THAT AUTUMN TURNED TO WINTER at the Bristol Old Vic Studio

THE NIGHT THAT AUTUMN TURNED TO WINTER at the Bristol Old Vic Studio

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The show has the warm, cosy feel of a picture book come to life. The set and costumes washed in an amber glow have a lovely wrapped-up-against-the-cold-world tinge. It also has a very inspiring ‘make do and mend’ ethos . . . If you are planning to take a small person to their first ever live show this Christmas you couldn’t hope for better than this.

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GOLDILOCK STOCK & THREE SMOKING BEARS at the Wardrobe Theatre, Bristol

GOLDILOCK STOCK & THREE SMOKING BEARS at the Wardrobe Theatre, Bristol

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The inaugural production for the new Wardrobe Theatre adds to the reasons to be cheerful as it weighs in with a production, which in terms of its ‘alternative’ label is not merely off the beaten track, but hanging from the ceiling, whilst providing a grin-and-laugh factor that little I have seen this year can match . . . GSTSB sets the bar encouragingly high for Bristol’s new studio theatre

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