Matt Slack brings irreverent edginess to this entertaining, big-budget panto spectacle
This plum show from panto giants Crossroads is playful and anarchic, buoyed up by the creatively chaotic energy of its cast. Directed by Michael Harrison and co-written by Alan McHugh and returning favourite Matt Slack, who also plays the title role, the script is big on spectacle and innuendo but vanishingly thin on plot – using the familiar folktale as a framework for barely connected comic skits and lavish, attention-grabbing set pieces.
At one point, a Routemaster bus takes flight, lurching dizzyingly out over the audience’s heads while Slack’s Dick waves from the driver’s seat. Fire-juggling troupe Spark Fire Dance – Dave Knox and Grace Billings – impress in a brief but memorable pyrotechnic display, spinning flaming hoops and blazing torches with impeccable precision. And a massive King Rat puppet scurries out of the shadows, eyes aglow. It makes a great, legitimately frightening first impression in the opening moments – though it’s disappointing that we don’t get to see the evil rodent defeated or, indeed, ever glimpse it again.
Instead, the show’s chief antagonist is King Rat’s verminous lackey, Ratman, played with absolute, uninterrupted seriousness by Wet Wet Wet alumnus Marti Pellow. Snarling and stalking about, he hisses and sneers his way through his scenes, and cuts loose on several original songs, backed by a chorus line of rats in black military caps.
Panto regular and local comic icon Doreen Tipton feels a little underused as an especially indolent Cat, constantly dozing off in the corners of Ian Westbrook’s cheerful cartoonish sets, which dazzle in purple, gold and bubblegum pink. Experienced dame Andrew Ryan is Felicity Fitzwarren, providing a few punchlines and singing with a strong, tuneful voice, nailing the fun, nautical-themed number that opens the second act.
But, ultimately, this is Slack’s show. From the minute he arrives on stage to uproarious applause, he creates an atmosphere of relentless, irreverent mischief, mercilessly needling his co-stars, cracking jokes about their pre-panto careers, and singling out plants from the audience for special, brilliantly creative abuse, giving the whole show an excitingly unpredictable energy.
Elsewhere, healthcare worker and former Strictly Come Dancing favourite Dr Ranj makes a perfectly pleasant Spirit of the Bells, decked out in silvery make-up and a glitzy metallic suit. Though Ranj struggles to stand out between the scenery-chewing Pellow and the irrepressible Slack, he adds a bright and wholesome energy to proceedings.
Director Harrison gives the production a hyperactive treatment. Pummelling the audience with gags and striking images, he keeps the energy high and the mood pleasingly flippant, ensuring that, though the show doesn’t really hang together as a story, it’s a breezy and engaging showcase for its stars.