Though even the most patriotic east Londoner would concede that the Hackney Empire and Theatre Royal Stratford East have enjoyed better years than 2010, Christmas is a different matter: as is their wont, these two Victorian powerhouses again boast the best pantomimes in town.
They are, however, very different beasts: where the Hackney panto is a vehicle for Clive Rowe’s virtuoso dame-ing, Trish Cooke and Robert Hyman’s Stratford show is the better rounded. Sure, Michael Bertenshaw steals every scene as the rampantly egotistical, increasingly hirsute Lupinus Wolf, chewing up the scenery with the same alacrity with which he swallows the denizens of The Woods. But there are no bland ‘straight’ characters here: from the Three Little Pigs – a trio of pearly kings who find themselves way out of their depth as woodland law enforcement officers – to Marcus Ellard’s effete Ben the Woodcutter, Cooke’s book is crammed with delightfully quirky, well-defined personalities.
Chloe Allen’s Little Red is the soberest figure here, but her sunny, unforced optimism is utterly winning. And as ever Hyman’s songs are exemplary, a nice mix of crisp electro-pop and raucous music hall, blessedly free of the ‘X Factor’-ish diva-isms that have infiltrated the panto world of late.
The Empire’s ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ probably is the more entertaining show for adults, but there’s really not much in it, and kids will get more out of this. And though Cooke and Hyman go easy on the innuendo for the most part, only the most egregious prude could fail to be delighted by Ben’s rousing final song in celebration of his ‘small chopper’. Great stuff.