Pocket Picks: Our top Pantomimes of 2021!

Pantomime is one of the greatest British festive traditions, bringing so many people to theatres; some for the first time and some as a yearly tradition. We look back at some of the pantomimes we've reviewed here at Pocket so far this year and pick out some of the highlights! But even though we're choosing our favourites, we must send our admiration to all those involved in theatre across the UK, whether in a panto or anything else. With closures happening all over due to the pandemic yet again, it has reminded us how privileged we are to get to experience the joy that is live theatre. So keep supporting your local venues, and go see a panto!

Sleeping Beauty at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley ★★★★★

"...this year we’ve got a couple of proper names in the always good value, Bonnie Langford and Lee Mead. Along with Myra Dubois as the wicked fairy, Lloyd Hollett as Muddles, the Court Jester, Claudillea Holloway as the princess and Joelle Moses as the Queen, this combination proves to be the best overall cast I can recall." 

Sleeping Beauty at the Churchill Theatre in Bromley is running until the 2nd January 2022. Click here to book tickets. 

Click here to read the full review

REVIEW: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the Bristol Hippodrome

As the Welsh Government heartbreakingly and seemingly prematurely shut Welsh Theatres after Christmas due to the perceived risk of the Omicron variant of Delta, less than 30 minutes drive away I was able to join a packed house at the lovely Bristol Hippodrome for a wonderful fun Snow White. Having been required to show my triple jabbed Covid Pass to enter and wearing a mask it was otherwise like the good old days of families enjoying a Christmas Treat. Why can’t they publish the evidence of how many people in the last month have caught Covid after a booster jab and wearing a mask at a Theatre and ended up feeling ill enough for hospital admission? It is time to stop playing politics and start giving us the data in enough detail so we can make up our own minds.

Those who decide that going to the Theatre is safer than going to the shops for your Christmas shopping are in for a treat with this excellent version of Snow White with beautiful costumes, stellar performances, and plenty of laughs together as a family. It is broadly the same script as the Swansea Grand Theatre, but Andy Ford, Lesley Joseph and Judge Rob Rinder give a master class in the execution of tried and tested routines from start to finish, and the audience roared their approval.

The Seven Dwarfs are again played by men on their knees and open the show in a strong clear scene setter but really burst into life when they return riding a lovely selection of woodland animals. This frees them up to move more easily and brings more humour and movement to the scene and when joined by Andy Ford riding an invisible Giraffe makes for a madcap amusing meeting with Snow White. 

PANTOMIME REVIEW: Aladdin at the Bristol Hippodrome and The Playhouse Theatre in Weston-Super-Mare

We sometimes forget that as well as being a family entertainment, pantomime is a serious competitive business with productions doing their best to attract rave reviews and audiences which can be critical to the financial success of a venue for the whole year. Large venues that can attract large audiences, have bigger budgets for headline casting , special effects and more promotional impact than their smaller local rivals. This is only too clear when you see Aladdin within a few days at both the enormous Bristol Hippodrome with a Qdos production starring Joe Pasquale and at the much smaller Playhouse, Weston Super Mare with an ensemble cast.

The Qdos offering relies almost entirely on Joe Pasquale's high energy squeaky voiced madcap persona, as he does his best to make the rest of the cast corpse and on the amazing Twin FX special effects including King Kong, a giant Cobra, elephants, pandas and a flying carpet with 2 passengers that turns upside down. It is spectacular and amusing but at times the pace slows and the humour is laboured.