Greatpanto,butwhich showwereJedwardin?
A high-decibel performance that touches the audience too
The Olympia panto has always placed an emphasis on young performers, especially dancers, and as usual they deliver a high-powered show with colourful costumes and scenery, and plenty of well-choreographed songs belted out at amplified levels that had the decibels climbing uncomfortably at times.
There isn’t the blitz of topical jokes that featured when Fiona Looney was scriptwriter, but there’s plenty of physical comedy and it’s nice to see the story of the beautiful Belle and the beast handled as a genuine love story; the beast (Carl Stallwood) is presented as quite a frightening character, and his transformation into the prince is a good piece of theatre. Linda Martin is equally menacing as Moron, the wicked mother, while Ciara Lyons makes a very attractive Belle. One big improvement is the absence of the 98FM Trolls and their grubby jokes.
Things being what they are in the pop world, respects are paid to Miley Cyrus with an excerpt from Wrecking Ball, to huge cheers, and there’s a good routine built around He Had It Coming. The interaction between the actors and dancers is as usual sparkling, which brings me to the multi-costumed Jedward. It’s becoming rather disturbing to see two monotoned young men apparently incapable of staying still for more than a few seconds, and being almost detached from the characters around them. I wasn’t sure if it was scripted or an ad-lib when Nurse Polly (Al Porter) turned to one of them and said ‘Are you doing a different show over there?’ Not that the Jedhead fans cared.
The overlong first half could do with pruning. And it was a new and unwelcome experience to see so many camera phones in the audience photographing everything for long periods during the second half.