Soaring into the Palladium comes Peter Pan, marking the return of the venue’s annual festive treat. Sitting somewhere between a no-expense-spared variety show and sexual innuendo-packed stand-up, it is not your standard fairy-tale frenzy made to please the kids.
But adults, if you’re in the market for smut, camp silliness and filth – and to see a cast that includes Jennifer Saunders and Julian Clary – then grab a drink and hop on board the Jolly Roger, it’s time to fly away to Neverland.
In fact, for the most part it might be best if little-uns avert their eyes and ears. There’s one cock-and-ball gag after another. Along with high kicks! Confetti! Acrobats! Fire! Limbo dancing! Puppets!
And of course ceiling-touching flying – it is Peter Pan, what did you expect?
Each year, director and producer Michael Harrison must have a field day with an apparently never ending budget. 2023 is no different – Peter Pan has glitz, glamour and piles of pizazz, even if it does favour jazz hands above any real narrative.
But with a star as goliath as Clary as this ship’s anchor, it doesn’t matter. He minces in as Seaman (yes, really) Smee wearing a glittery lobster costume, a gown made of playing cards, a feather-decorated naval uniform and gags upon gags stuffed up his sparkling sleeves.
Serving up snide comments, spoken songs, and racy sarcasm, he’s the king of pantoland, and boy does he know it.
Sure, it might be an opportunity to wheel out classic jokes, dust off fan favourite costumes (I’ll watch Saunders, who plays Captain Hook here, doing Ab Fab any day), and for these stars to revel in their own celebrity, but it is hard to resist a cast who are clearly having the time of their lives.
Nigel Havers might not have a role other than being Clary’s punching bag, but good god does he enjoy it – there’s real glee to his constant attempts to hide his giggles.
Saunders takes pleasure in waving her Hook around menacingly. And really, what more could we want than endless razzle-dazzle, fun and games?
There’s a tribute from Clary to the late and great Paul O’ Grady that sends tears round the audience and stops all the flash still in its tracks.
If you hadn’t felt the room bursting with affection already then this would have done it.
The Palladium panto has built a staunch following and become something like a family. Weird, wonderful and strangely touching, you’ll leave warm and grinning. Really, isn’t that all you’d want at Christmas?
To 14 Jan (palladiumpantomime.com)