Does Al Murray hit the spot? Oh, yes he does!
Last year’s New Wimbledon panto, starring a virtually inert Arlene Phillips as Fairy Bowbells, was one of the most miserable experiences of 2016. So it’s a relief to report that this year’s show, for which the big-name draw is Al Murray, is a vast improvement. The New Wimbledon panto rarely pretends to be anything other than big, bold and brash, but at least this year there is a decent director in the shape of Thom Southerland, who has a fine track record in musical theatre in particular. And it certainly helps that Murray, making his panto debut as Jack’s brother Idle Al, displays all the energy, enthusiasm and limelight-hogging ego of a child let loose in a playground for the first time.
Of course, Murray’s entertainment factor rather depends on whether you still have an appetite for his enduring Pub Landlord persona. Yet while this panto is conspicuously light on politics, Murray’s satiric take on British belligerence still has a chord to strike in these rancorous, postreferendum times. If several scenes essentially feel like imported Pub Landlord skits – including one running joke at the expense of a game member of the audience – then there’s no harm in that. There’s also a terrifically funny musical set piece between him and Clive Rowe’s Dame Trott involving an Apple Watch that’s a highlight.
Still, while this is a slick, well puttogether show, too many one-liners fall flat. And, as ever with these big commercial pantos, there appears to be no correlation between the song-and-dance pieces and whatever bit in the narrative they accompany. We are introduced to Liam Tamne’s staggeringly anodyne Jack with a perfunctorily choreographed rendition of Dancing in the Street; the impact is more akin to the coerced jollity at the butt end of a bad wedding. Meanwhile Rowe, for years Hackney Empire’s in-house dame, has made a surprise trip across town but his performance in this new venue feels efficient rather than effervescent (although the Wonder Woman outfit needs to be seen to be believed) and he certainly comes nowhere near the blissful heights he regularly reached in E9.
It’s down to good old special effects to make the biggest impression, the most astonishing of which involves 3D glasses and a trip through the dungeons of the giant’s castle, about which it would be a shame to say more. John Jack is good value as Fleshcreep, the slimy, grasping landlord; more disappointingly, the female roles stop at Princess Apricot, played by an actress in a sparkly, swirly skirt; and the Spirit of the Beans, played by an actress in a sparkly, swirly skirt. Not perfect then, but a perfectly good night out. Until Jan 14. Tickets: 0844 871 7615; atgtickets.com