There’s no question that the stunning Theatre Royal Nottingham still offers the best panto for miles around Robin Hood County!
With Star power, remarkable polish, killer gags, sensational special effects and all round ‘variety’ – you can’t fail to be impressed by the effort given to just 4 weeks of this festive camp old nonsense.
This year is the strongest in years, not because of the show itself – who cares whether it’s ‘Jack & The Beanstalk’, Aladdin or a dollop of Dick Whittington – we go because it takes us back to being 7 and feeling blown away by the fabulousness of this bizarre spectacle. BINGO!
With perfect warmth, delivery & charm from Tony Maudsley as Dame Trot & beautiful, effortless and utterly captivating schtick from The Chuckle Brothers – this show couldn’t fail.
ENJOY AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH TONY HERE!
Add into that killer vocals from the (inevitably underused) Daniel Boys & Sarah Earnshaw…..it’s a stella pro cast!
My only reservation is that this show occasionally ‘crossed the line’, but, there’s no question that Jack & The Beanstalk is a 4* belter and leagues ahead of the other pantos locally!
TICKETS HERE! Booking through Jan 15th 2017!
Enjoy our EXCLUSIVE review via YouTube:
Qdos naturally deliver perfect staging, ensemble dance numbers, lighting, effects and pacing. I never looked at my watch once.
The kids were perfect too during the beautifully crafted dance numbers and the local gags raised the roof throughout.
The Chuckle Brothers were simply divine tonight. Hysterical and the epitome of panto genius’.
You can see 50 years and 1 million performances crafted in front of your eyes. Brilliant.
With 4 delightful & seamless routines with not a word, second or laugh wasted – it was a thrill to watch them perform.
Of course Paul & Barry are totally superfluous to the story, but who cares, they stole the entire show and clearly were the most adored and well received by the punters….by a mile!
Chico gave his all adding pecks for the girls and slick moves during his hit ‘Chico Time’.
The show opens with the brilliant Daniel Boys putting the audience in their place as Fleshcreep, (Oh YES he does!) then the show begins….
Tony Maudsley warmed up the crowd effortlessly. He is the epitome of the dream Dame. His costumes were excellent & delivery & confidence was flawless.
I’ve had the Trots most years at Christmas but Tony was exceptional & instantly oozed charm. He is truly the nearest great Dame since Les Dawson. Glorious comic timing & brilliance.
My only reservation was the odd unforgivable gag (“put your head back & swallow love”), totally inappropriate for Panto and was deemed low rent, crass and unacceptable judging by the ‘tuts’ around me. That’s not his fault, you can only deliver what you’re given.
Nevertheless, he made me laugh out loud throughout. Delicious singing voice too. Just perfect as he was as Edna in Hairspray.
He had some beautiful asides that sadly went unnoticed for various reasons. When the giant walks along the big screen “he’s not wearing socks, he’ll catch his death this weather” – stunning delivery only a comic actor of his genius & huge experience can pull off.
The polish of this production is glorious. Kudos to Qdos who don’t miss a beat.
The music (unlike their chief competitor at the Notts Playhouse) was contemporary, electrifying and relevant. The kids loved it!
As well as some of the inappropriate gags, my only other reservation was the 3D scene which for me was simply too good, real & scary for panto. It was frankly terrifying in the eyes of my 6 year old guest.
Unnecessary and frankly superfluous to the genre. I know it’s a gimmick, good for the poster & makes it ‘2016’, but the children around me were left confused and scared – an emotion they should never feel at a panto.
I guess it was aimed at X-Box playing Dads…who probably loved it.
Finally, they need to be careful with sound, especially with the Princess who struggled to cut through over the Orchestra. Some gags were also lost during the ‘louder’ scenes which was a shame as some corkers were lost.
So with a 5* Dame and captivating variety from the Chuckles, don’t miss Jack & The Beanstalk at the Theatre Royal Nottingham.
Playing twice daily through Jan 15th 2017.
Review by Alex Belfield for Celebrity Radio 11th December 2016.
Leave a Reply