Pantomime
Peter Pan
SECC, Glasgow
Mary Brennan
FOUR STARS
The moment he walks on the stage, you think – wow! that’s a total stoatir of a costume. Seriously plumed hat and shoulder-length curly wig, lacy flounces, gold riding boots: this Captain Hook looks dandy. Inside – you can just see his face – lurks The Hoff, and if Qdos (who produce the SECC’s glitteringly spectacular panto) have enshrined David Hasselhoff’s Hook in a fabulous rig-out, they’ve embedded their celebrity star in a tremendous cast who know Glasgow audiences, and how to humour them.
The Krankies, after their SECC panto stints with John Barrowman, are now well-beloved by a generation who weren’t born when "fandabidozi" was a byword for fun with a dash of salt’n’sauce. As Janette bounces round the stage as Wee Jimmy Smee, bringing an archly knowing wink to action on the Jolly Roger, it’s hard to believe that the Krankies have been on the go for fifty years – and Ian is still letting her get away with the best punchlines! More hilarity arrives in the guise of Mimi the Magical Mermaid, with Michelle McManus not just hitting her usual musical high notes but proving herself a sharp, sassy comic talent as well – altogether this trio generate pure panto brilliance. As for the Hoff – what kind of a fist does he make of Hook? Put simply, the Hoff just IS: rather like a big-hearted force of nature who joins in with whatever is going on around him and, like he sings with towering gusto, doing it "my way...". The Qdos way, meanwhile, fills the stage with classy dance routines, glitzy costumes, 3D scary effects and a boy (Keith Ramsay’s Peter) who can fly. Like seasoning in food, however, there was an element of spice and fruitiness missing – can we have Barrowman back next year, please?
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