But he is the engine -- and the accredited director -- behind this great, fun-filled family show.
Pantos at the Palace have really hit a yompingly fine stride since Dolan arrived five years ago. He’s one of those likely lads -- ideal as Buttons or Wishee-Washee or, as here, the court jester -- who can loon around like the necessary eejit but still come away with hilariously clever wordplay that leaves audiences helpless with laughter... and repeating the jokes to one another afterwards.
What’s more, Dolan is up for the kind of messy-splatter slap-stick that has kids shrieking with disbelieving glee.
As with the Principal Boy -- and by the way, Laura McMonagle cuts a classy can-do dash as Prince Valiant at the Palace -- the business of custard-pie clowning is a panto tradition that has exited stage left in many venues.
Sad, really. Especially when you see how well the old tricks can work when tackled with fresh enthusiasm. Talking of which, John Hannibal’s Dame, Nanny Nora Noo, is a right go-getter -- tee-hee! Nora’s inappropriate urge to go get a man soon becomes an ongoing source of richly grotesque comedy.
If there’s a hint of wicked camp in Brenda Cochrane's Carabosse, it -- and her singing -- adds a wink of showbiz glam to the character before she transforms into a... but let’s not spoil a special effect that, like our Jester’s time machine and much else in this panto, provides young and old with the panto-time of their lives.
Star rating: ****
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article