Who:
Written by James Rushbrooke, directed by Howard Shepherdson
Where and when:
Questors, Judi Dench Playhouse, to 31 Dec 2023 – tickets at http://www.questors.org.uk/event.aspx?id=1104
Cast:
James Goodden, Joel Watson, Grace Connett, Tim Pemberton, James Burgess, Lizzie Taylor, Robert Vass, Simon Higginson, Yahvi Joshi, Alex Marker, Jacob Chancellor and Team Island from the Young People’s Ensemble.
Basic plot:
Peggy Legge (Goodden) runs the local tavern, the Admiral Benbow, that caters to seafarers.
With her adopted son, Jim (Watson), and daughter, Rosie (Joshi), she is in need of money after being abandoned by her husband, and losing a treasure from the deep that could keep her safe.
When fortune brings a treasure map into her hands, can she hope to find enough money to bring the Beacon back to glory, or will pirates get to the stash first?
Characters and performances:
Peggy is the panto dame, of course, while Jim and local squire’s daughter Holly (Connett) provide the romance. Seamen Bates and Stains provide the comic relief,
Long John Silver (Burgess) and Ziggy Starfish (Chancellor) get the hisses, and Ethel the Merman (get it?) gives the act two opening exposition.
The performances are broad but fairly accomplished, with Goodden’s dame impressing for a second year in a row, while Vass and Higginson make an amusing double act.
Set designer and Questors artistic director Alex Marker had fun in two roles and two singing solos.
Audience interaction:
Other than a few opportunities to hiss and boo, and shout ‘behind you’, there is no singalong, and a lot of the – definitely cringeworthy and occasionally off-colour – jokes didn’t always land in time and fell a bit flat. But that’s panto!
Atmosphere:
A few school and scout groups appeared to enjoy the proceedings, but smaller children were noticably fidgeting towards the end of the rather long first act.
Generally, the audience was supportive of proceedings, and the theatre was more or less sold out for this performance. Aside from the heavily decorated foyers, not very festive.
Music:
Utilising a range of popular and musical theatre songs keeps the amusement and recognition factor high, with In the Navy, Parklife, All By Myself, Somewhere That’s Green, One Day More and I Am The One And Only receiving makeovers with Helen Cooper’s witty and inspired lyrics, plus nods to the music of Queen and Bowie.
There are some excellent ensemble numbers here, and some strong voices dotted throughout.
Technical:
Alex Marker’s set design of ships and ports extended into the auditorium, while Tim Edwards’s lighting design was impressive throughout. Dan Tigg’s sound had a few initial hiccups but settled down.
Puppet work was very minimal this year with the opportunity to use two cheeky mice really missed – they only appeared in two scenes, and only briefly.
Cuteness factor:
Aside from a few dancing octopuses and mermaids to accompany Ethel the Merman, there wasn’t much in the cute line this year. Rosie, as a parrot on board ship, perhaps came closest to it, and the occasional toy duck hidden on set, giving a nod to the open sea.
Regional/contemporary relevance:
I’m sure I heard Brixton mentioned once, but in terms of Ealing/Hounslow, references were minimal this year. I would have liked a little bit more.
Final verdict:
3*
This year, although I enjoyed a lot about the show, I felt the pacing was a little too slow in act one, while some of the singing was a bit under par and a couple of jokes felt in bad taste (personally, I would cut the one about the cast of Friends following Matthew Perry’s death).
However, we get the traditional tying up of loose ends and contrived conclusions, and both parents and children should be satisfied with the entertainment factor on show here.
The Questors are a hard-working amateur company, and their panto is always worth a look.