POTTED PANTO at Wilton’s Music Hall

★★★★★

“Basically, you’ve just got to see it to believe it.”

Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner (thereinafter referred to as Dan and Jeff) take on the task of presenting six-and-a-half popular pantomimes in the space of eighty minutes. They’ve been doing it for some years now, so are probably getting quite adept. Just to show off, immediately after the interval they summarise the first act (a mere four pantomimes) in three minutes. ‘Potted Potted Panto’ they call it. They don’t stop there – they then recap (donning their ‘recap caps’) in one minute. Yes, you guessed: ‘Potted Potted Potted Panto’. It goes on. Until breathlessly they somehow revert to the task in hand. This is their modus operandi. They are constantly having to rein each other in, pulling themselves away from the many digressions and bizarre, surreal, outlandish embellishments they have piled thick and fast onto the traditional stories. It is a miracle that they are condensed at all, what with the sheer number of laugh-out-loud moments packed in.

Dan and Jeff are a slick duo. Vaudevillian, but a touch more risqué. Morecambe and Wise but with the more modern, anarchic chaos of Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson. Deep down we know that this show has been rehearsed to a tee, but it feels like a rampage. One that is forever teetering on the verge of collapse. The popular titles they have chosen are ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’, ‘Dick Whittington’, ‘Snow White’, ‘Sleeping Beauty’, ‘Cinderella’ and ‘Aladdin’. Ah, yes, the ones we know and love. Except that after witnessing Dan and Jeff’s interpretation we cease to know them – but love them even more. At Dan’s insistence, ‘A Christmas Carol’ is shoehorned in (hilariously mashed up with ‘Aladdin’ – I shall say nothing!). Strictly speaking, Dickens’ Victorian classic is not a pantomime. Jeff feels the need to point this out. Neither is the Nativity. Nor the John Lewis Christmas advert, nor the Doctor Who Christmas Special.

Dan concedes. And so, the roller coaster ride begins. Caught in the cyclone of activity are dozens of costume changes that more or less keep up with the plot twists. Our perceptions of the fairy tales we grew up with are not just stretched but snapped clean in two. We are in a world where giant moose lay golden eggs and Dick Whittington conquers London in his shiny green hotpants and thigh high boots. Where fairy God-chickens wave their magic baguettes and dinosaurs wander into Sleeping Beauty’s bramble-thick garden. Where the ghost of Christmas Present is summoned from a genie’s lamp… I could go on and list every bizarre twist, joke, reference, visual pun, innuendo, satirical zeitgeist. But it would take all day. And you wouldn’t believe it anyway so there’s no such thing as a spoiler for this show. I could hand you the script word for word and you’d be none the wiser. Basically, you’ve just got to see it to believe it.

Written by the pair (along with Richard Hurst) it is, despite all evidence to the contrary, an exceedingly witty and intelligent creation. The intricate balancing act of the language and the humour aims straight for the ‘grown ups’ and the ‘little ones’ simultaneously without any confusion being whipped up in the crossfire. It is difficult to decipher who is enjoying it the most as the laughter from each generation vies for supremacy in the auditorium. Similarly, it is a joy to witness the performers having just as much of a ball as the audience. Even when they are corpsing they are in command. They don’t really need it, but aid comes intermittently in the shape of stage manager, Sammy Johnson, who adopts a couple of idiosyncratic characters of his own. And Marie-Claire Wood matches their comic flair wordlessly, before stunning us with her beautiful singing voice.

If I were to put down on paper what this show is about (oh, hang on – that’s exactly what I’m doing) I’d be wary about letting anybody read it. I don’t think it would make much sense. What would make less sense, though, would be to miss this sensational, seasonal show. Even if the show itself makes no sense. But that’s the beauty of it. ‘Tis the season to be silly. Or is it jolly? Anyway, “Potted Panto” is jolly silly. ‘Potted’ – according to the dictionary – has more than one meaning: 1. Shortened. 2. Intoxicated. Well – that says it all.

POTTED PANTO at Wilton’s Music Hall

Reviewed on 1st December 2023

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Geraint Lewis

Previously reviewed at this venue:

Feast | ★★★½ | September 2023

I Wish My Life Were Like A Musical | ★★★★★ | August 2023

Express G&S | ★★★★ | August 2023

The Mikado | ★★★★ | June 2023

Ruddigore | ★★★ | March 2023

Charlie and Stan | ★★★★★ | January 2023

A Dead Body In Taos | ★★★ | October 2022

Patience | ★★★★ | August 2022

Starcrossed | ★★★★ | June 2022

The Ballad of Maria Marten | ★★★½ | February 2022

The Child in the Snow | ★★★ | December 2021

Roots | ★★★★★ | October 2021

Potted Panto

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★★★½

“It’s a slick and stylish production under the direction of John Hoggarth”

Kash and Mohsen are friends living in Oxford on the cusp of adulthood. Kash is a bit of a clown who loves to dance to the latest Punjabi music, Bob Marley and the Spinners. Mohsen is more academic and is more interested in getting into Oxford uni than getting his classmates to like him. But when the boys hear their classmate plans to throw a pool party there is one thing they agree on. They need to learn how to swim. Kash just wants to use it as an opportunity to flirt but Mohsen understands it as an opportunity to break stereotypes and learn a valuable life skill. For the sake of safety more than anything else he’s up for the challenge.

Brown Boys Swim is a classic story of contemporary British cultural dislocation. The boys are torn between their religion and islamic identity, and the ways and mores of their school mates. They bond over their trips to the mosque, fantasizing about their future wedding ceremonies and what sweets their mums’ have made for Eid. But where they clash is over whether and how to conform with their peers; from growing beards to at the extreme drinking alcohol.

It’s a slick and stylish production under the direction of John Hoggarth. James Button’s set is simple yet versatile. With just a couple of benches and some strip lights the boys move from school to the mosque, gym to the pool. Where the set and props are multipurpose, the costumes are multitudinous – with almost every scene requiring a different outfit. Each transition of set and costume is done intentionally by the actors on stage – wonderfully choreographed in synchronicity by movement director Sita Thomas. Roshan Gunga’s sound design is outstanding – particularly the scenes of the boys at the leisure centre pool where every movement of an arm or a leg is matched by a splashing sound – an impressively evocative feat.

“They play with every splash of humour and heart they’re given in Karim Khan’s script”

All this style is so noticeable because the changes in scene are too frequent and too many – stilting the drama and stopping the characters achieving any real depth. Each time Kash and Mohsen reached an impasse, which happened too quickly and too often to be believable, the scene would end, the set and costumes would very beautifully change, over a minute would go by and then the next scene would start, in a new location with the previous disagreement squashed and forgotten about.

Kashif Ghole and Ibraheem Hussain as Kash and Mohsen gave strong performances. Even more impressive given both actors have only graduated drama school this year. They play with every splash of humour and heart they’re given in Karim Khan’s script. Kashif Ghole is totally endearing, cracking jokes whilst revealing a youthful vulnerability. Ibraheem Hussain gives us a tough exterior that hides some insecurities, but relaxes and warms when mucking about with his friend. The boys portrayal of adolescent friendship is charmingly truthful, and it’s a credit to their performances that the ending is unexpectedly moving.

Despite the committed and impassioned performances and high production value, the lack of depth in the dialogue put constraints on this show’s capacity to really allow the audience to be drawn in to the drama.

POTTED PANTO at Wilton’s Music Hall

★★★★★

“Basically, you’ve just got to see it to believe it.”

POTTED PANTO at Wilton’s Music Hall

Reviewed on 1st December 2023

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Geraint Lewis

Previously reviewed at this venue:

Potted Panto

Potted Panto

BROWN BOYS SWIM at the Soho Theatre

★★★½

“It’s a slick and stylish production under the direction of John Hoggarth”

“They play with every splash of humour and heart they’re given in Karim Khan’s script”

BROWN BOYS SWIM at the Soho Theatre

Reviewed on 4th October 2023

by Amber Woodward

Photography by Geraint Lewis

Previously reviewed at this venue:

Brown Boys Swim

Brown Boys Swim