Panto at its best

Peter Pan

Hiss and Boo , Riverfront Newport , December 14, 2009

Glitter, tinsel, nostalgia, and slapstick silliness. Yes, panto season is here again (Oh no it isn't etc).

Hiss and Boo have reshaped JM Barrie's classic Peter Pan into a seasonal jaunt for all age ages. While not structurally a natural choice for panto this adaption actually works pretty well, thanks to the help of the script put together by ex Russ Abbot Richard Gauntlett and director Ben Tyreman's familiarity with the genre. New additions to Barries script abound- Dames are drafted in, and parts for camp pirates written specially. All the ingredients for frolics are here, there is even a pantomime crocodile in place of the horse.

What Hiss and Boo Co do best is prove you don't need an ex celebrity family name in order to make a decent panto. Instead they compile very credible and committed talent and let the the production work on merit, rather then clinging to the coat tails of tired fame that would rather be elsewhere. In this way Newport panto costs a fraction of its cousins in Cardiff and Bristol while lacking nothing in terms of quality.

As for celebrity it is a credit to Brian Hibbard aka Captain Hook that he is remembered for more than being the Ex Flying Picket frontman (Only You still plays well though). He's a good jobbing actor and his villainous shenanigans always go down a storm in these parts.

Most of the other laughs were provided by Phyllip Harries and Francois Pandolfo, the latter playing bottom buddy for Harries's dame, a Deliah Smith in drag. Sarah Cortez played Tiger Lilly and surely pleased most of the dads with her performance. Both Wendy and Peter Pan ( Kate Rawson and Anna Campkin) were more than solid. Gillian Elisa was under-used in the cameo roles of a weirdly Welsh Indian Chief and a Bonnie Tyler on the rocks mermaid. At one point she led the cast in a version of Shout, most cymraegified, this was the biggest and best number the night. The young well disciplined chorus were drilled and choreographed throughout, a credit to Cortez.

While something of a chaotic jumble at times, this was panto at its best. I enjoyed this Peter Pan vastly more than the Hollywood version Hook- and there you have it. Hiss and Boo, better than Spielberg....you read it here first.

Reviewed by: Chris Paul

The Stage

Peter Pan

Published Monday 7 December 2009 at 17:25 by Jon Holliday

To succeed as pantomime, Peter Pan must marry the delicate Barrie fantasy and the robust routines essential to this most traditional of Christmas entertainments without discord. Ben Tyreman’s production certainly achieves this in fine style. The audience participation children demand is given full rein while never losing sight of the good versus evil battle between the ever-young, high-flying boy and crocodile-haunted Captain Hook.

The action sweeps along at a spanking pace. Songs, dances and fights are well done, as are technical effects, especially the projection of darting, fairy-dusted Tinkerbell.

Kate Rowson portrays a most appealing, perky Peter, while Brian Hibbard as Hook is as flamboyant an eye-rolling villain as anyone could wish for. Phylip Harries makes much of the comic Smee who doubles as ship’s cook Delia - a bearded Dame - having forgotten to hire a pirate-friendly chef. Gillian Elisa provides stand-out cameos as a bubbly mermaid and a very Welsh/Indian Big Chief Mamma Panther.

Francois Pandolfo as Starkey and Anna Campkin as Wendy give notable performances, with support from Ashley Rolfe, Sarah Cortez, Sam Rabbitt and Emma Goodwin.

Theatre in Wales

A cracking good panto

Peter Pan

Hiss and Boo theatre company , The Riverfront , Newport , December 4, 2009

There’s a sharp frost in the air. The bright lights of Newport’s Riverfront Theatre beckon. Inside the foyer there’s a mass of young people bubbling with excited anticipation, laser swords are waving and cutlasses gleaming. It’s pantomime time! Multi-instrumentalist Julian Tucker and his great band, Ray Dizon on drums give us a rousing opening chord, play some very funny overture music and to let us know we‘re in fairyland Tinkerbelle flies all around the stage by the magic of laser projection.

The newsboy’s loud cry of “Evening Standard” tells us we are in old London Town. He does a little tap dance at the foot of a lamp post and miraculously it lights up! More very lively music and the whole company burst into a flurry of Cockney dancing with the irrepressible Phylip Harries, this time out of his pantomime dame attire, in bright shiny waistcoat giving us in song his raucous impression of a Pearly King in full flight, with a nod and a wink and few ‘innocent’ double entendres we are away with robust delight.

Bloomsbury is quickly transformed into the nursery in the Darling home, backed with twinkling stars. We have a brief meeting with Nanna, a huge fluffy dog that I would have liked to have seen a lot more of. Riverfront pantomime regular Brian Hibbard is an irritable hapless Mr Darling and he is assisted by the gentle charm of his wife played by Gillian Elisa, keeping her comedy powder dry for later in the show. Then there are the children, first Michael played with wondrous wide eyes, alternately by Oliver Evans and Joe Hurst, John played with confidence by young actor Ashley Rolfe who does his best to be ‘grown-up’ but just can’t quite make it. Finally of course the engaging Wendy, a delightful and captivating performance from Anna Campkin who sings with a very clear beauty.

Into all this flies Peter, this is a dashing and most enjoyable performance from Kate Rawson, the central member of this charming, very entertaining team. He really does fly, high and all over the stage, very soon Wendy and her brothers are equally transported. The back stage crew handled what for a relatively small theatre is quite a technical challenge with great expertise.

Soon we are in Neverland with Wendy as a welcome and coveted mother figure to the very lively Lost Boys but as with all good pantomimes trouble is just around the corner. Or is it? Smee, Phylip Harries and Starkey, Francois Pandolfo form a top class comedy duo having great fun with the young audience as well as a bit with the older ones but scary pirates they do not make.

There is one scary one though, a very scary one, a menacing Captain Hook and in the hands of Brian Hibbard with his deft approach to the villain he cleverly elicits our antagonism without frightening any of the very young people in the audience too much. Before he captures all the ‘goodies’ Wendy and co have a charming escapade first with a bubbly mermaid, Gillian Elisa, with a twinkle in her eye and despite their fishtales the ensemble, choreographed by Sarah Cortez give us another of their clever sprightly dances. Then secondly Gillian Elisa sheds her fishtale and returns as Big Chief Mama. This is an hilarious Indian ritual, all kept to a beat of a drum and a touch of the Welsh language.

A lively mixture of great songs, magic and fun the Riverfront pantomime has all that a cracking good panto needs.

Reviewed by: Michael Kelligan