JADAR

★★★★☆

Panto is back and bringing us another comedy-filled, magical evening for all the family to enjoy. This year’s Crossroad Pantomimes show brings back a slew of panto and theatre regulars with comedy legend Jason Manford and Britain’s Got Talent finalist Ben Nickless making their return after last year’s success with Jack and The Beanstalk.

The panto follows the classic rags-to-riches fairytale with a few silly twists for the people of “Mancunia”. In this charming rendition, Fairy Godmother (Wendy Mae Brown) sets out to help the studious Cinderella (Sarah Vaughan) find her Prince Charming (Jason Manford). “Aided” by her best friend and oddball Buttons (Ben Nickless), who also has his own “secret” crush on her, Cinders must contend with her “wicked sisters”, Manipulata (Chloe Chesworth) and Vindicta (Liz Carney) (nice puns, guys), as well as her calculating step-mother, Baroness Myra Fortuna (Myra DuBois), who intends on marrying off one of her daughters to the Prince.

Having reviewed last year’s panto, I was curious as to whether this same line-up would prove tiresome or somehow manage to keep the refreshing charm and wit that made Jack in the Beanstalk such a success, and I’m still pondering my feelings on this now.

While I love the mischievous banter between Jason and Ben, the scowling glares broken up by the occasional slipping giggle from the glorious Myra DuBois, and some of the classic panto bits, I’m still left feeling as though its something I’ve seen before. Some bits feel a little too predictable with the same sorts of tongue-twisters, the awkward but cute audience participation song, and a mix of the same comedy routines slapped into the middle of the story’s action – some feeling well-placed and other’s becoming shoe-horned stalling tactics (especially in the first act). Saying that, Jason and Ben were a stellar pairing, as they are every year!

The set is particularly stunning this year, with a variety of layered painted fairytale landscapes, taking us from the palace to the woods and all places in between. Additionally, the Cinderella transformation, which happens before our eyes, and the spectacular horse carriage, with their galloping legs soaring above the audience, were some of the most magical effects I’ve seen for a long while (no surprise they were made by The Twins FX, who created the awe-inspiring DeLorean effect in Back to The Future: The Musical).

Outside the main storyline are comedy segments that allow the audience to get a taste of the main duo’s talents. For Manford, we get a mini comedy set after his bouncy rendition of Bublé’s ‘I Just Haven’t Met You Yet’, moving from his on-stage character to his real-life comedy act as he shares his taste in corny (but much appreciated) dad jokes.

Meanwhile, Nickless plays his usual cheeky chappy persona, arriving on set to the Just Eat jingle as he delivers sweets, an egg, and water gun surprises to the front rows and teases the rest with a massive firehose.

Later gags have the duo coming together for a sing-along of ‘Sweet Caroline’, which Nickless purposely sabotages with his literalism singing “in the gap”, another hilarious impression routine from Nickless, and a slightly tedious but impressive “wonky donkey” and bird-watching routines paired with a perfectly-timed wardrobe malfunction, memory issues and a variety of sly adult jokes making Myra, Jason and Ben all crack up simultaneously. Honestly, while some of these routines lasted too long or felt repeated from last year’s bag of tricks, the genuine cracks from the cast are sure to have you belly-laughing.

Myra in particular is hilarious. Her non-cholent insulting of the audience, the glamourous Cruella De Vil-evoking glitzy dresses and big hair, and her propensity to have the audience both giggling and hissing as the panto villain is astounding. Her disdainful smirks, maniacal cackling, and the slips she makes when Ben and Jason crack her up are truly some of the show’s most entertaining moments.

The trope of her one audience defender returns again – the quick-witted back and forth with “Gary” as he’s told to bellow, “Marry me, Baroness Myra”, filled with visible reluctance – is certainly a funny sight. Her quirky, villainous persona is matched so perfectly by the comedy duo’s bouncing routine, and her delivery is perfect – just managing to avoid the overblown cartoon villain persona that pantos often lean into.

Speaking of acting, I did find elements of the pantomime acting a bit cringe-inducing, with that classically child-friendly CBeebies voice and a few awkward audience interaction, but all in all, these were things that I expected to be sprinkled occasionally into a Christmas pantomim.

Vaughan performed sweetly as the enchanting Cinderella with her melodious voice and cutesy attitude but occasionally felt undercut by the comedy segments and lack of stage time. In fact, there were several parts of the story that felt a little too short and detracted from her moments as a leading lady. It was a true shame that the writing yet again let down another female lead.

Ironically, I didn’t think I’d like Buttons, as my memory of the character was a little hazy but I recalled cringe-inducing in previous productions. However, Ben Nickless’ lovable, playful and kind-hearted rendition is heart-warming. His wit is quick-witted and ever-surprising, and I have to applaud his ad-libbing abilities, especially in making a star like Wendy Mae Brown giggle at the sight of her unexpectedly broken wand.

None of the roles particularly allow the actors to showcase their full singing abilities but give them a chance to let loose, have fun and surprise the audience with gorgeous, sweeping ensemble numbers, glitzy costumes, and a wonderful variety of gags, tricks and illusions – my favourite of which being the Bryan Adams’ ‘Everything I Do’ number as the cast pull each other off the romantic log in competition for Cinderella’s love.

Songs were a surprising mix of oldies with some of the show’s other standout hits being reworks and renditions of Queen’s ‘Somebody to Love’, ABBA’s ‘Gimme A Man After Midnight’, Take That’s ‘Pray’, and a corny Steps’ ‘Tragedy’ reference. There was no particularly stand-out song moment due to the fast-paced and silly moments but it was a nice touch to have such a variety for adults and kids alike.

Concluding the show was an audience interaction moment to the classic Music Man with kids invited up to play silly instruments with the cast before the grand finale.

Ultimately, the show had its flaws with a few awkward and stale moments repeated from previous years, but I can’t deny how much fun these panto productions are. Their sets, pyrotechnics and special effects are magical. The cast is hilariously witty, and the whole production is filled with this sense of child-like awe. While some of the story and character development suffers from the focus on comedy, one has to question how much it really matters in a light-hearted panto. It’s a brilliant, albeit corny, experience filled with memorable moments thanks to the star-studded cast and production crew.

Photo: Paul Coltas