★★★★

“the performers put on an impressive show without a moment’s rest”

As the festive season approaches, the time of pantomime comes without holding back. In this production co created by Jermyn Street Theatre and Charles Court Opera, who will be celebrating their 20th anniversary in 2025, we leave all worries (and historical accuracy) outside the entrance doors and enjoy an evening of hilarious covers of popular tunes, disguises and pastries.

In this intimate space, the ensemble bursts with energy and comedic genius as they add a twist in the famous rivalry between the English and the French during Napoleon’s attempt to conquer Europe. On the one side, there is King George (Elliot Broadfoot), the Duke of Wellington (Jennie Jacobs) and Princess Georgina (Amy J Payne) who is disguised as a private in order to fulfil her wish of ending the war. On the other side, there is the infamous Napoleon (Matthew Kellett), standing as tall as he can and savouring the audience’s boos, with Marie Antoinette as his resurrected companion. A legend goes around which says that if one obtains a precious stone in the King’s vault, this person will become undefeated and the only way to open the vault is to use Horatio Nelson’s hand, which Napoleon possesses. Determined to win the war, the English royal party embark on a ship and off they go to destroy Napoleon once and for all.

From Lady Gaga and ABBA to Elton John and Bonnie Tyler, the performers put on an impressive show without a moment’s rest. Merry Holden’s choreography is a fascinating mixture of 80s pop culture and melodramatic inspired moves, performed with perfect synchronisation and gusto. The performers’ voices are highly skilled but also used to heighten the humorous merriment of the piece, with David Eaton’s musical direction subtly, though solidly, accompanying the actors.

There is a clear simulation of a stand up comedy show in the way the sound effects and cheesy punch lines are delivered. At times, not even the actors’ acknowledgement is enough to make the script feel less ridiculous and it is impossible not to roll one’s eyes at the overused jokes and puns. But the actors’ commitment is ardent and the audience is more than happy to sing along, even participate in the games involved onstage. Costumes, (Lucy Fowler) are flamboyant, complimenting marvellously the royal theme and over-the-top tone and Ben Pickersgill’s lighting design does exactly the same by using bright shades of primary colours, as well as sharp spotlights.

Following their previous successful collaboration, last year’s Odyssey: A Heroic Pantomime, it’s safe to say that the electrifying creative chemistry Jermyn Street Theatre and Charles Court Opera delivers what it promises, always finding interesting ways to use well-known stories in an entertaining and inventive fashion. The sparkling direction from Benji Sperring and John Savournin (who also co-wrote the show with David Eaton) lifts the experience to another level. It’s an evening full of musical mischief, baguettes and hearty laughter. This production reminds us why the tradition of pantomimes is such a big part of the festive season, offering entertainment and a sense of release open-handedly to the audience, but also reminding us that life can be ridiculous and wacky, sometimes in the best possible way.

ANNIE GET YOUR GUN at the Lavender Theatre

★★★★

“SuRie, as the gun-toting Annie, carries the show – nailing her character with gunslinging accuracy.”

There could potentially be a fair bit to censure in the 1950s American musical, “Annie Get Your Gun”, especially with modern audiences whose awareness of racism, sexism and cultural sensitivities have shifted since the musical was written. And Irving Berlin’s “The Girl That I Marry” would surely get even the laziest feminist pounding her twitter feed in rage at its undisguised misogyny and condescension towards women. And throwaway jokes about swindling Native Americans out of their oil? Come on! But that is a debate I’m not entering into here. Except to say that the creators behind the inaugural season at Lavender Theatre have rightly decided that we have the wit and imagination to know that we are watching something from a different age. We can cope. And Simon Hardwick’s production, surrounded by the purple haze of lavender fields, shoots down any pre-packed misgivings that people may have in a feel-good blaze of escapism and classic entertainment.

It’s hard to come across a more winning opener than “There’s no Business Like Show Business”, which builds from its mellow summer breeze into a gusty and gutsy chorus, framing the story within Buffalo Bill’s Wild West touring show. Elliot Broadfoot’s impressive presence as Buffalo Bill Cody keeps a tight rein on the action, pinpointing the chapters of what is essentially a good old-fashioned love story. Annie Oakley (SuRie) rocks up into a small town in Ohio, and with her extraordinary shooting skills, catches the attention of champion marksman Frank Butler (Charlie McCullagh). The two are instantly smitten, but when Annie’s rising star begins to outshine Frank’s, the trouble starts.

SuRie, as the gun-toting Annie, carries the show – nailing her character with gunslinging accuracy. Gamine, yet sassily aware of her femininity, her charisma hangs over the stage like aromatic gunpowder. SuRie is clearly “Doin’ What Comes Natur’lly”. Equally believable is McCullagh’s Frank Butler. The chemistry between the two cautions us to stand back while sparks fly yet draws us in close to get a true feel for their inescapable magnetism. Drawn into their orbit are a fine cast. Frank’s spurned, scheming assistant, Dolly Tate, is gilded with Chlöe Hart’s comedic flair, while Jay Faisca’s ‘Chief Sitting Bull’ has a self-deprecating gravitas that gives a nod and a wink to the caricature he could be, yet still staying believable.

The open-air setting lends an appropriate festival feel, though more village fete than rodeo. It is as the sun sets that the magic filters through, conjured by and large by Berlin’s iconic songs. The classic foot tappers cannot fail to plant a smile on us, while the more stripped back, softer numbers dig deeper. SuRie’s vocals come into their own during “Moonshine Lullaby”, for example, or “I Got Lost in His Arms”, before rising to the duel of “Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better)” with McCullagh – a fabulous moment of affectionate rivalry and harmonic one-upmanship.

Everybody wins. The guy gets the girl, and the girl gets her man (after learning, of course, that “You Can’t Get a Man with a Gun”). The real winners are the audience. It is a little bit out in the sticks, but that shouldn’t stop anyone making the effort to get there. “Let’s Go On With the Show… Everything about it is appealing”. The newly formed Lavender Theatre are on to a winner with this well aimed revival, that hits the mark.

NAPOLEON: UN PETIT PANTOMIME at Jermyn Street Theatre

★★★★

“the performers put on an impressive show without a moment’s rest”

NAPOLEON: UN PETIT PANTOMIME at Jermyn Street Theatre

Reviewed on 26th November 2024

by Stephanie Christodoulidou

Photography by Alex Brenner

Previously reviewed at this venue:

NAPOLEON: UN PETIT PANTOMIME

NAPOLEON: UN PETIT PANTOMIME

ANNIE GET YOUR GUN at the Lavender Theatre

★★★★

“SuRie, as the gun-toting Annie, carries the show – nailing her character with gunslinging accuracy.”

Reviewed on 21st July 2023

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Harry Elletson

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