No business like Snow business
It’s behind you! Or at least there’s no sign of it in this otherwise enjoyable panto
Those four stars are dependent on what you expect to see in a pantomime, because of its bizarre, chaotic nature, and above all because panto is aimed at providing a memorable outing for children, and if adults enjoy it, that’s a bonus. Getting the two things together is not easy.
If you like a visually spectacular display, a blitz of colour, imaginative use of video and graphically projected scenery, an awesome range of costumes, flashing lights, special effects and pyrotechnics with loud bangs, you will love this production. If you fancy elaborate song and dance sequences, performed by a talented company and some expertly-drilled children from the Billy Barrie Stage School, you’ll think it’s great. Nor will you have many complaints if you like to hear children clapping, waving glitter sticks, and enjoying themselves.
And if you enjoy a first-class performance, you’ll appreciate the singing, acting, the stage presence and even the courage of Louise Bowden regularly floating up, down and across the wide stage as the evil Snow Queen who wants to enslave everyone in her world of ice.
But there were times when I wondered if the Gaiety hasn’t become a bit complacent about its admittedly fine productions. The script is particularly weak, even for a panto. The usual topical allusions were generally lost, and the amount of self-referential panto dialogue was excessive without being funny. There was the usual inevitable bow to children’s affection for potty humour, although the dreary running joke about a male egg-laying crow with a sore bottom, was itself a bit of a pain in the proverbial. It could have done with more slapstick-style comedy that really gets kids going, such as the slipping, sliding and bouncing provided by the frozen waterfall.
You have to admire the logistics involved in keeping such a huge production running smoothly, but the long 20-minute introductory sequence before the story got going was a bit of a stretch, and there was an overdose of scenechanging song and dance. All done with great skill and verve, but some of it gave a sense of elongating the material beyond its limits.
Joe Conlan, was as ever, on top form as Granny Hurdy-Gurdy, Nicholas Grennell was excellent as the hapless Jack Frost and Clara Lyons and Adam Isla O’Brien as the young lovers, gave a fine rendition of their show-stopper Drowning in the Dark.