Jane McGowan enjoys an evening of clean, crisp fun...
OUR VERDICT
The decision by the team at Croydon’s recently renovated Fairfield Halls to move its panto out of the traditional Ashcroft Theatre setting and into the airy 1,800-seater Phoenix Hall was a bit of a gamble.
And for my money, I am not sure it has paid off.
Yes, we have been given a beautiful bejewelled fixed setting complete with a lively animated background (designed by Nina Dunn) but we have lost some of the intimacy and magic that being in a theatre brings.
It felt more like a concert experience than a stage show. I also thought it odd, that the house lights never fully dimmed – which was a shame as the twinkly set and sequinned costumes were a bit lost in the overall glare. That aside, what the pantomime does offer is some great performances and lots of family-friendly fun.
Star of the show is undoubtedly Tim Vine, whose natural, free-flowing silly humour is ideal for an audience packed with children.
However, any parents worried about the usual innuendo-laden scripts need not worry as there isn’t one in sight. Nor is there any adlibbing or corpsing – everything was played straight down the line, which sadly added to the slightly sterile nature of the show.
Top of the bill is Strictly Come Dancing champ and BBC sports presenter-turned-thesp Ore Oduba who is slightly underused as Dandini. While much is made is of his dancing ability (he has a reasonable singing voice too), his appearances are few and far between, as are those of CBeebies host Cat Sandion – probably the only recognisable face for members of the young audience – as the Fairy Godmother.
West End performers James Bisp and Grace Chapman as the Prince and Cinderella both sing their hearts out and are just sweet enough, while the baddies Katie Cameron as Baroness Hardup and Jason Marc-William and Alistair Barron as Ugly Sisters Tess and Claudia shout and stomp for all their worth.
The highlight of the show is definitely the ‘Kids on stage’ section, where Tim Vine is the ideal foil for some very excited and unscripted children.
CRAIG SUGDEN
Many of the usual conceits are present – the now obligatory ‘Ghostbusters’ scene and what seemed like an eternity of “Well, we’ll have to sing it again then won’t we?” Er no, actually, three times is more than enough… And the 12 Days of Christmas which seemed shoehorned into the first half and required little audience participation and featured nowhere near enough water!
The costumes are gorgeous (although my two young companions did note that Cinderella was wearing the same dress to the ball and her wedding) and the big numbers are well crafted and executed. Overall it just felt a little too polished for panto – sadly, more cruise ship than Croydon.
Until 5 January 2020 (book here)
