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Muddling through for laughs
Kiss of life: Lucy Evans as Princess Beauty and Oliver Watton as Prince Daniel. Sleeping Beauty Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton **** THERE are certain entertainers who seem
to have been put on this earth to brighten any stage and, come
Christmas, find their natural habitat as a star of pantomime - Joe
Pasquale is one such. The audience comes alive and the shiny sets of
this Qdos production positively sparkle whenever he appears as court
jester, Muddles. And Muddles leads the cast through the required
quota of boos and hisses, behind yous and oh yes she wills, oh no she
won’ts; then there are silly puns, jokes that cracker makers rejected
years ago, holes in the plot you could lose Birmingham in, a wafer thin
storyline, a dame who appears to have more costumes than lines, a
glamorous and oh so wicked baddy – in short, all the ingredients, mixed
with loving care for a traditional family panto.
Joe’s material ranges from the daft through particulalry silly to the downright mad but it is all gloriously funny. And he seems to enjoy himself revelling in
interacting with the audience; his impromptu double acts with first
Kate, an audience member who drew the short straw with a seat on the
front row by the stage steps, and then four year old Dillon turning into
a masterclass in how to work an audience. Dillon was one of the children selected from the
audience in the traditional penultimate scene while the rest of the cast
get their glad rags on for the closing number, and he was magic, a
starin his own right, funny, uninhibited and even managing to get notes
out of a trombone. Meanwhile back at the palace we had Ceri Dupree
as Queen Passionella, all glamorously outrageous, over the top frocks
and double entendres, carrying on the mantle of the great Danny La Rue
and equally glamorous, in a dark and evil way, was the wicked fairy
Carabosse played with tongue very much in cheek by Wendy Somerville. For love interest we have Lucy Evans as Princess
Beauty and Oliver Watton as the Wispa eating – don’t ask – Prince
Daniel, all looked over by Robyn Mellor as The Enchantress, the good
fairy to Carabosse’s bad.
In charge, or at least he thinks he is, is the King, played by Tony Kemp while helping the side of evil if Carabosse’s green-skinned son Slimeball, ingratiatingly played by Michael Peluso. The story is simple with the Princess fated to
prick her finger on her birthday and sleep for a hundred years until she
is awakened by the man she is to marry – which has Muddles, the Prince
and Slimeball in the race for her lips. With a lively ensemble and an excellent band under musical director Allan Rogers, it is all good, lively fun for all the family with nothing to frighten the horses, or shock a granny. There are recognisable songs, a touch less on the
volume perhaps, flashes and bangs and Muddles soaring over the heads of
the audience on a flying motorbike. It is a worthy addition to a festive
tradition and a fitting show to celebrate the Grand’s 119th birthday
which this year coincided with Press night. To 18-01-14. Roger Clarke The Grand Theatre is one of the finest remaining
examples of the work of celebrated Victorian theatre architect Charles J
Phipps, and regarded as his crowning achievement. It first opened it’s
door on 10 December, 1894 to an audience of 2,151 to watch the D’Oyly
Carte Opera Company perform Gilbert and Sullivan’s Utopia Limited.
**** JUST as the latest I'm A Celebrity, Get
Me Out Here has vanished from out TV screens (mercifully), former King
of the Jungle Joe Pasquale has returned to the stage and is proving to
be Prince of the Pantos. The squeaky-voiced comic is having a right old
time at the Grand, playing Muddles in this fairy tale, and his brand of
humour, with a few rude spots here and there, pleases parents as well as
the kids.
Jolly Joe even rides a motorbike which soars over
the audience, then, more like his days in the jungle, he swings
Tarzan-like on a rope across the stage. Even so, Muddles is pushed all the way for the panto hero title by Ceri Dupree, a brilliant 'Dame'. He plays Queen Passionella superbly, and the rage
of magnificent costumes he wears must have accounted for about a half of
the panto's budget. Wendy Somerville's powerful voice is ideal for
her role as Carabosse, the wicked lady the audience love to hate in this
happy show which can be even better if the music is turned down a touch
here and there. Inevitably there was a show stealing performance
among the three youngsters from the audience who joined Joe on stage
near the end. Four-year-old Dillon, who seemed to be having a lot of
trouble keeping his pants up, managed a blast on a trombone and proved
the perfect foil for the comic. The customers loved him. To: 18.01.14 Paul Marston
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