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Last month I took my son to watch the panto local to where I grew up. Here's my review.
Incompetent fairies led by a Queen who won't get out of bed and a King who thinks he's a policeman. A hipswinging Elfin Safety Officer called Elfis. A wandering knight who wonders what he's doing in the story. Two dastardly villains for the price of one. A cartwheeling Dame. A toybox full of dancing toys, including a Tellytubby. Choreography shimmying smoothly from elegance to hilarious parody. Love is an Open Door for Sleeping Beauty and the disguised Prince who was in the enchanted forest all along.
Never mind your big celebrity pantos – local amateur panto is the real deal, and MTTG's annual panto leaves many others far behind. Jokes tumbled so fast from the script that it was hard to keep up, only to be topped by the visual gags. My 8-year-old son (who wasn't going to come because “it's a girl's story”) and I have not laughed so much since...last year's Beauty and the Beast.
Sleeping Beauty is the 20th panto Muriel Walker has written and directed. She's at the top of her game. She is brilliant at mixing timeless stories and panto conventions with fresh surprises and contemporary twists. I enjoyed her pantos at South Charnwood School more than 30 years ago when I lived in Thornton. Now they really are outstanding. Her consistently strong cast knew how to get the best from an audience without ever overdoing it. And all for ridiculously low ticket prices.
A show whose matinee sells out within an hour to people from all over Leicestershire scarcely needs a review. My local panto would love to be so popular. But if you haven't seen one of MTTG's shows recently, be sure to get your tickets early for the next - while they still last. Or join the Group, and have fun every Wednesday evening at Thornton Community Centre!
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