★★★★

“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.

EXIT ABOVE at Sadler’s Wells Theatre

★★★★

“When the show reaches its climax, the performers let it all out and enter a superbly choreographed frenzy”

For those knowledgeable in the dance scene, the name Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, who’s been choreographing since 1980, is more than familiar: it signifies a whole principle that explores dance in its simplest form, which is none other than walking. In this exquisite performance, De Keersmaeker’s company, Rosas, take it a step further and seek to redefine dance, its source and what instigates it.

At first, there is a recreation of the tempest, evoked resourcefully by using an enormous see-through sheet and a fan, and a dancer that moves like they’re caught in it. Before long, the rest of the company joins and embarks on this journey of walking, moving and dancing in any way imaginable. Patterns are repeated, new shapes introduced and there is an interesting balance between group sequences and individual ones, without ever losing the sense of the collective and the company working together.

One of the aspects of dance that the audience are invited to consider is what we can dance to. Is it strictly a very specific type of composed music or can it be more than that? ‘Exit Above’ shows that there is no such limit and if dance can be created from simply walking, then what accompanies movement can be anything we want: acoustic guitar, songs, complex instrumental beats, bird sounds, even silence.

This show is the musicians’ as much as it is the dancers’, with Meskerem Mees, Jean-Marie Aerts, Carlos Garbin providing their respective experience and style to create an intriguing set of music that incorporates electronic beats, vocals and blues. Mees and Garbin not only are performing the music live onstage, but also participate in most of the sequences alongside the rest of the performers, creating a living organism in front of our very eyes. Mees’ voice fills the theatre with an eerie and haunting tingle that accompanies Garbin’s exceptional playing beautifully.

There is no set, except for the instruments used by the musicians, the parts used to create the tempest in the beginning and a set of colourful stripes taped on the floor (scenography by Michel François). The stripes overlap, creating different shapes and angles, and match the performers’ outfits (costume design by Aouatif Boulaich), which keep changing and evolving, like the show itself does. It’s a visual feast of shirts added, skirts shared, tops removed, even thrown towards the audience.

In terms of lighting (light design by Max Adams), for the most part of the show it’s kept quite simple, with parts of the backstage being visible. A single, wide spotlight occasionally moves around the stage in a circle, accompanying the path paved by the dancers themselves, like a gravitational force.

When the show reaches its climax, the performers let it all out and enter a superbly choreographed frenzy, though, at times, it feels like chaos takes over and the inventiveness diminishes due to overused repetition.

Without a doubt, this is an extraordinary collaboration that gave birth to a piece unlike any other. Even if the lack of tangible meaning may trouble members of the audience that are unfamiliar with Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker’s work, the show’s variety of pace, movement quality and tone, as well as its daring nature make it a must-see for all.

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

EXIT ABOVE at Sadler’s Wells Theatre

★★★★

“When the show reaches its climax, the performers let it all out and enter a superbly choreographed frenzy”

EXIT ABOVE at Sadler’s Wells Theatre

Reviewed on 13th November 2024

by Stephanie Christodoulidou

Photography by Anne Van Aerschot

Previously reviewed at Sadler’s Wells venues:

EXIT ABOVE

EXIT ABOVE