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Matt Slack as Idle Jack and Andrew Ryan as Sarah the cook. Pictures: Paul Coltas Dick Whittington
Birmingham Hippodrome
**** HIPPODROME pantomimes are usually
something special, and this year is no exception The Hippodrome is a big theatre with a big reputation to live up to, and a big stage to fill, so it first needs a big production and then it needs big laughs, and plenty of them, and Dick scores on both counts, Oh yes, it does. Then there are the big special effects with a giant
rat and then a giant shark looming out of the stage and over the audience, or
Dick in a sleigh pulled by a giant Rudolph flying out over the stalls
and even doing a barrel roll! Why a barrel roll? Well I suppose The Twins FX were just
showing that their sleigh could. Add in a spectacular underwater 3D section and
fish attack on a
sunken galleon and enough pyrotechnics for a bonfire party and the big
stage is set for a night of stars, with the biggest of the lot, despite
being fourth in the billing, being Matt Slack as Idle Jack. This is his fourth consecutive year in the Hippodrome panto and things would just not be the same without him – he is already booked as Buttons in next year’s Cinderella. His first appearance on stage and his final bow were the biggest cheers off the night. He has an immediate rapport with th He has become the Hippodrome’s resident festive
comic, lighting up the stage whenever he appears with some very clever
routines, such as a funny monologue mentioning almost 70 place names in
and around Birmingham, or selecting a video and relating the titles as
the dame, Sarah the Cook, related an amorous adventure with the video titles
all appropriately inappropriate. Andrew Ryan is on his third visit to the
Hippodrome as dame and is one of the best around avoiding camp and
giving us an old-fashioned pantomime dame - with ever more spectacular
costumes including a Christmas pud and a fat costume with tassels
for those of a nervous disposition.
Then there is another Hippodrome favourite, John
Barrowman, in the role of Dick. He is another who walks on stage to be
greeted like an old friend who has just dropped in. The audience are an
essential part of panto and Barrowman invites them in as friends from
the start. So back to the panto. King Rat wants to take over
London where Dick, penniless, arrives and gets a job to rid London of
rats. He is accused of robbery, cleared, shipwrecked, survives, gets rid
of King Rat and marries Alice. So that is the plot out of the way – and to be
honest it is about that thin. But what the heck. What we are left with is a
good, old fashioned variety show and we even have one of the oldest
variety acts in the business, The Krankies, as Councillor and Jimmy
Krankie. The Krankies, who are both 69, have been going
more than 40 years and Ian still flings Janette around like a rag doll.
They are a different act live to the one seen on TV, funny, risque and with
infectious laughter. They have worked with Barrowman many times and it
shows as a double act becomes a treble act when they are all on stage. Throw in Matt Slack as well and you have a
gloriously funny nautical variation on the 12 days of Christmas which
involves the likes of rubber rings, crabs, fish, blow up dolls and giant
water pistols (people in the front ten rows or so might consider wearing
raincoats for this section . . . just a suggestion). Every panto needs a baddy so enter Steve
McFadden, EastEnders’ hard man Phil Mitchell, as King Rat, trying to
keep a straight face in verbal sparring with Matt Slack. And if we have a baddy
we need a Her duet with Barrowman was perhaps the musical
highlight in a panto that had a few chorus numbers but eschewed romantic
ballads or big numbers. Danielle Hope, winner
of BBC’s Over the Rainbow,
had little chance to shine as Alice, the same
going for Taofique Folarin as Babby the Tabby, Dick’s cat, with both
roles little more than footnotes in a script that goes for laughs with
no time for any hint of romance or pathos. We didn’t even have the panto
staples of look out behind you
or oh yes, he did, oh no, he didn’t.
What was left though was great fun, all the
comedy bits from a variety show packed with laughs, clever, silly and
plain daft sketches and routines with the main characters feeding off
the waves of laughter from an enthusiastic audience. Which brought us to the surprise star of the show on Press night, Sam from Knowle who was six, or maybe five - he seemed a little unsure - giggled a lot, and, touchingly, was worried Matt had hurt himself falling off the stage earlier in the show All of which was a dream for Matt Slack as he brought four youngsters on stage for a singalong as backstage readied for the finale. A comedy gem. Slack, incidentally, is brilliant at dealing with
the kids at the end, always getting laughs with them rather than at
them. The characters are
backed by a lively, hardworking ensemble who turn up as boys and girls,
a harem, palace guards, rats and ghosts in a show full of wonderful
costumes. Directed by Michael Harrison,
Dick Whittington,
is splendid entertainment with enough silliness, visual humour and
effects for youngsters and enough double entendres and telling glances
for adults. To 29-01-17 Roger Clarke 21-12-16
And look out behind you . . .
***** THIS is the big budget pantomime with a
cracking cast, wonderful special effects and a laugh-a-minute experience
for bumper audiences. Multi-talented John Barrowman is the headliner,
making a terrific impact with his singing and humour as Dick
Whittington, encouraging people to mark his regular appearances on stage
with Brummie cries of ‘aw..right’. But the biggest cheer on media night welcomed the remarkable Matt Slack, a former Pontins' Bluecoat who is so slick at working the audience. And there was a particularly touching moment near
the end of the show when one of the four children plucked from the
audience, five-year-old Sam from Solihull, asked Matt if he was hurt in
a plunge from the stage into the orchestra pit. The comedian assured him
that it was just a clever The success of this panto is built on how well
the stars blend, especially in the amusing Twelve Days of Christmas
scene, and the performance of The Krankies is a bit special, too. Janette and Ian have been in show business for 50
years, and if they qualify as the wrinklies these days they are still a
very funny couple and unbelievably agile when wee Janette becomes a
ventriloquist’s dummy. Former EastEnders hardman Steve McFadden is the
man the custiomers love to hate in his role as King Rat, Jodie Prenger
(BBC I’d Do Anything winner) waves a good wand as Fairy Bow Bells and
Andrew Ryan is a hoot playing the Dame, Sarah the Cook, in a colourful
range of crackpot costumes.
But there are scary stars, too, with a huge rat
soaring over the front rows of the stalls and an enormous shark
providing the best Jaws experience you will ever want. Even a red-nosed reindeer pulls a sleigh on high,
and the brilliant 3-D show has the audience ducking to avoid cannonballs
and a variety of strange sea creatures seeming to fly in their faces. Youngsters from Birmingham Stage School add to
the fun and the orchestra, under the direction of Robert Willis, deliver
great music in a truly magical pantomime Produced and directed by Michael Harrison, this
very modern Dick Whittington, whose big Brummie cat seems a bit of an
under-used after thought. Paul Marston 21-12-16
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e audience
such that you feel he could have started with "as I was saying". He has
the Tommy Cooper gift of getting a laugh by merely walking on stage, and
he is funny, clever, with
silly jokes, impressions and funny walks not seen since Max Wall trod
the boards, (younger readers can ask grandad).
goody, in the shape of
West End star Jodie Prenger, winner of BBC’s 
stunt. Mr Pantomime, if ever there was one.