It is also a barometer of popular culture, with its snazzy dance routines set to what’s made its mark on the nation in the past year.
Last year, the flavour of the 12th month was five performers who had a number one hit, were growing increasingly popular among the young and featured some members rumoured to have a weight problem: The Spice Girls.
A year on the stars in the popular imagination are four performers who have a number one hit, who are growing increasingly popular among the young, and all definitely having a weight problem: the Teletubbies (who at least still have some cult cred unlike the Spice Girls).
The signature of the television programme supplies one of the shortest and probably the most popular singalongs I’ve witnessed in my long tour of duty at pantomimes.
It was all orchestrated by Johns dressed as La La, fat, yellow with an aerial on top, and had the children in the audience cooing with delight, except when they were singing the words.
And this points to reason for the success of Johns and his team’s pantomimes at the Theatre Royal.
They successfully marry together up-to-date fun to good old-fashioned panto qualities.
Dick Whittington is a great blend: silliness from Johns as Jack the Lad and Peter Thorne as the Dame; hands-on-hips principal boyism from Gladiator and athlete Zodiac; and villainy from a Shakespeare-quoting, Richard the Third-esque King Rat Michael Kirk.
West End singer Lisa Hull, as Dick’s truelove, shows her wonderful voice, and Lorraine Chase reveals a good voice, and cuts a dash as fairy Bowbells.
Swirling around them are dancers, puppets, corny gags, and plenty of good songs and dance routines.
The result is high quality entertainment for all the family.
ROGER LOVE
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