JACK AND THE BEANSTALK at Bath Theatre Royal

JACK AND THE BEANSTALK at Bath Theatre Royal

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Nigel Havers gives the impression of having far more fun than a working chap has any right to. If you didn’t know it was him, you might think the part of Fleshcreep was being played by a beastly half-brother. In the best panto tradition he relishes being Mr. Nasty whilst staying on the artistic side of ‘hamming it up’, but with enough oleaginous malevolence to provoke spontaneous ‘boos’ and hisses . . . This is a pantomime, which delivers in talent and spectacle with colourful sets . . .

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LITTLE SURE SHOT at the egg, Bath

LITTLE SURE SHOT at the egg, Bath

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Little Sure Shot is based on the life of Annie Oakley and is the story of a young girl’s prodigious talent as a markswoman and her struggle for acceptance as a woman in what was considered to be a man’s domain . . . In Verity Kirk the enthusiastic self-belief of Annie finds the perfect, guileless, open expression. She charms as she convinces . . . As a family oriented Christmas show this has all the feel-good fun you could ask for.

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QUEEN ANNE at The Swan, Stratford upon Avon

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If your history lessons excluded Queen Anne or reduced her to a footnote, you can now compensate by meeting the real women in this RSC production of Helen Edmundson’s enthralling new play . . . Roll over the Elizabeth and Victoria drama industry, there’s a new queen on the block with a captivating tale of passion and politics, told with deep psychological insight courtesy of surviving personal letters, and set against the scurrilous journalism, satire and licence of the time.

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TEECHERS at Cheltenham and Gloucester

TEECHERS at Cheltenham and Gloucester

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A production from the Everyman Studio, Cheltenham. Teechers is a well-crafted, well observed and, you could say, political comedy that knows where it’s coming from. There are several underlying messages and occasionally an overt tirade about equality and opportunity but the general consensus is that everybody would be much happier and more fulfilled at Saint Georges, the posh school on the other side of town. Paul Milton’s direction was tight and to the point and had some nice touches. Very enjoyable and recommended.

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SNOW WHITE & THE SEVEN DWARFS at the Bristol Hippodrome

SNOW WHITE & THE SEVEN DWARFS at the Bristol Hippodrome

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The star of the show, of course, is Warwick Davis; he plays Prof, the resourceful leader of the dwarfs. We don’t meet him until Herman has abandoned Snow White in the forest, and his long anticipated appearance was greeted rapturously by last night’s audience. Davis undoubtedly exudes star quality – his Elvis impersonation is a surreal highlight – but not all of his fellow dwarfs deliver their lines with confidence, and some of their slapstick moments fall a little flat.

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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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