Kicking the festive season off with sequins, foam, and laughter, The Theatre Royal’s annual pantomime The Little Mermaid brought tears of laughter to everyone in the room whilst maintaining a West-End production value.
The show started with a stunning musical number that could have easily been the opening to a West-End production with a sinking ship, bubbles blown across the audience and powerful vocals from the whole cast. The set design was impressively fun throughout with a man-eating shark looming across the stage and a chariot flying over the audience’s heads which made the show feel spectacular. Even more exciting than the set design was the costumes, notably Chris Hayward playing Ursula, which had drama and sparkles to no end. At one point, Ursula’s dress which looked like a chic draped fabric, transformed into a prickly sea urchin with six-foot pointy spikes by being blown up - I was in awe. Every time she walked on stage, the outfits got even more elaborate and decadent with each architectural silhouette. There were plenty of other gorgeous costumes that stood up to the Dame, but some fell short in comparison.
After the starting sequence, father-son duo and Newcastle panto royalty Danny Adams and Clive Webb made their first appearance and the crowd went wild, I was unprepared for such a small-town-celebrity feel. As their 19th year in Newcastle pantomimes, they were a delight to watch, working the crowd so perfectly that even when mistakes were made (scripted or not), we just laughed along with them. There were jokes for all ages, from slapstick and physical comedy to an overabundance of phallic innuendos, they had everyone on side, even if some of the kids were left a bit confused. Joe McElderry and Chris Hayward as always incredible actors and singers even if Joe won’t stop singing, and were both starry performances of the night. Panto regulars Mick Potts and Wayne Smith were also incredible but were unfortunately let down by a lack lustre Ariel and Prince Eric whose acting was not only a bit drab but the vocals were regularly drowned out by the band, but they’re not the reason anyone has come to the pantomime.
Some of the most entertaining parts of the show were of course the parts with no addition to the plot and hardly any relevance! The on-stage foam show, with the addition of involuntary audience participation, children singing a silly tongue twister with Danny Adams to win a goody bag, and the most chaotic rendition of The Twelve Days Of Christmas I have ever witnessed. I don’t think I have ever truly laughed that much at any pantomime and especially not at such, some might say, childish humour, but their experience showed because it didn’t feel stilted or rehearsed, just pure fun.
The Little Mermaid at the Theatre Royal is without a doubt one of the best pantomime I have ever seen, with a small town, almost community feel, perfectly blended with West End quality production. It is the perfect feel-good family evening to get into the festive mood, and even runs until the 12th of Jan!
