Sleeping Beauty Takes a Prick!

When the beloved queer theatre space Above the Stag closed down last year, much of the sadness focused on the loss of the annual filth-fest that was its adult pantomime, written for the last decade or so by Jon Bradfield and Martin Hooper. But like a fairy roused from the dead by the cheers of the audience, the panto is back under a new company (He's Behind You) in a new venue (Charing Cross Theatre) with a new story and all the old jokes.

This year we’re in the lesser-known Baltic state of Slutvia where the evil and very gay Prince Camembert, desperate for the throne, puts a curse on his nephew Prince Areola (Arry for short, of course): if he ‘takes a prick’ before his twenty-first birthday he will die. Then it’s an unending litany of gags about, well, everything from rimming to the Royal Family. So thick and fast does the filth come that it seems to infect the mind. Even the costumes start looking like Georgia O’Keeffe paintings, pink and labial. And is the set a giant bum hole?

That no-holes-barred approach – why bother with double entendres when singles get a laugh – is wrapped around what’s actually a very traditional pantomime, complete with ghost benches and songsheets, as well as a cast of winsome goodies and wicked baddies.

Chris Lane’s scheming Camembert is a scowling delight, while former Stag stalwart Matthew Baldwin is as wonderful as ever as the dame, this year Queen Gertrude of Slutvia, his thick make-up and colourful outfits a contrast to his wonderfully camp insouciance.

Even if it gets a bit baggy in the middle, and maybe the jokes aren’t quite as sharp as previous years, it’s good to see this adult panto back, hitting the sweet spot for those who love the form but have put the days of family-friendly firmly behind them.