REVIEW THEATRE
TOURING GLASGOW
THE TIN SOLDIER
Seen at Partick Burg/t Hall. Gavan Town Hall until Fri 15 December. Sltettlestan Hall. Man I 8-22 Fri December.
Hans Christian Andersen's tale of crippled toy war vet who falls for dancer and ends up in the gutter. Gets back on his foot before topping himself in cult-inspired love/death pact. Wildcat Theatre Company give things a Brechtian slant with old Hans himself onstage. literally bringing things to life.
magic and adventure @ slapstick and knockabout — side-splitters — cheesy groaners <2)
smut and innuendo — vile villains (2) men in frocks J ust Hans’ frock-coat celeb count 0) top tunes '2) sloppy smooches — join-ins and hand-outs (if) glitz. glamour and pzazz (3)
Advocating the power of words. this one takes its time. and you can‘t hear everything. but once it gets there it should melt the coldest of hearts. (NC)
SLEEPING BEAUTY
Brun tan llall, until Thurs 28 December. Raymond Boss’s up-beat this version sees 3 Sega megadrive-playing, pop- singing Princess of East Lothiana pricked into a Hill-year snooze. Old pro Russell Hunter is surprisingly classy in the legs department as he camps it up as Sleeping Beauty’s Hibs- fanatic ma.
magic and adventure @ slapstick and knockabout (3) side-splitters <3) cheesy groaners Q) smut and innuendo CD
(halt each for Russell’s heaving bosoms)
vile villains Qt) men in frocks (D celeb count 0) top tunes (3) sloppy smooches G) loin-ins and hand-outs <5) glitz, glamour and pzazz C3)
Trendier than the norm, this kept little bums on seats. A smattering of grown- up gags, but innuendo was noticeably absent. 1, 2, 3, aaaaah! (0P)
.‘l A, a '3’” ., ‘ ‘
‘lleavlng': Russell Hunter in Sleeping Beauty
STIRLING
THE SNOW OUEEN
Mat‘Rabert Centre. Stirling. until Sat 6 January.
A shattered mirror and a few magic tricks are all it takes to lure young Kay into the Snow Queen’s icy lair so her teeth-chattering reign can last forever. But Kay‘s pal Gerda is hot on their heels. enlisting the help oftalking crows. a friendly reindeer, a brattish princess and Stuart Paterson's version of a drunken Scots gang leader.
magic and adventure slapstick and knockabout side-splitters
cheesy groaners — smut and innuendo vile villains
men in frocks — celeb count —- toptunes — sloppy smooches join-ins and hand-outs glitz. glamour and pzazz
986’)
©
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Flat. fizzless affair with more slush than sparkle. leaving eager youngsters’ appetites without real sustenance. All they got was cold turkey with no stuffing. (CP)
Krank it up: Aladdin
ALAOOIN
Pavilion Theatre, until Sat 27 January. The charm of the Pavilion panto is that it doesn’t try too hard. Sets are cheap and cheerful, the dancing troupe is modest and Janette Krankie always draws attention to fluffed lines and mishaps. The presence of ex- Gladiator Eunice as the genie of the lamp allows for some digression into kickboxing territory, and Linda Nolan as Aladdin gets to sing ‘I’m In The Mood For Dancing’, to the delight of kitsch-lovers.
magic and adventure slapstick and knockabout side-splitters
cheesy groaners
smut and innuendo
vile villains
men in frocks
celeb count
top tunes
sloppy smooches loin-ins and hand-outs glitz, glamour and pzan
©©®©®©©®©9®®
A very traditional, tacky panto with
plenty comic references for children and for adults. (PS)
[amm— PINOCCHIO
Citizens' Theatre. until Sat 13 January Toymaker Gepetto dreams his wooden puppet to life. creating a surrogate son whose mischief leads him into numerous scrapes. But with prompting from Benjamin. Pinocchio's conscience in cricket form. honesty and unselfishness save the day. A lively revival of Myles Rudge’s adaptation. which stays fairly close to Carlo Collodi's original.
magic and adventure (10
slapstick and knockabout @ side-splitters (3) cheesy groaners - smut and innuendo — vile villains ©
men in frocks — celeb count - top tunes (3) sloppy smooches — join-ins and hand-outs glitz. glamour and pzazz «.5?
Copious silliness and bright colours don't smother this jolly moral tale in the hands ofdirector Giles Havergal and company. (AB)
CUMBERNAULO RUMPELSTILTSKIN
Cumbernauld Theatre, until Sat23 December.
Simon Sharkey’s production of the scary fairytale is billed as a Christmas show rather than a panto, and maps out a strong theme of commercial greed versus innocent nature. Older children pick up on this, while the younger ones go mental for the woodland creatures and the antics of argumentative siblings Gordon and Gretel. However, Tony Ventre's sprite- Iike Humpelstiltskin and the inventive set collect most Brownie points.
magic and adventure slapstick and knockabout side-splitters
cheesy groaners
smut and innuendo - vile villains
men in frocks - celeb count - top tunes
(5) @ (D 2
'Creepy’: Rumpelstlltskln sloppy smooches G) loin-ins and hand-outs C4) glitz, glamour and pzazz @
The low scores in some areas are only an indication that this Isn’t your average panto; it’s a great production of a classic creepy tale. (FS
EDINBURGH MERLIN THE MAGNIFICENT
Royal Lyceutn Theatre. until Sat 6 January.
Little orphan Arthur earmarked for kingship by bearded mystic who knows a thing or two. Unfortunately. the permanently green-withenvy Morgana-le—Fay is also on the case. setting things up for classic good- versus—evil-type brouhaha. Let battle commence.
magic and adventure (5) slapstick and knockabout 3‘)
side-splitters (.3) cheesy groaners (’2) smut and innuendo
What. in the Dark Ages?
vile villains (52 men in frocks (1) top tunes Atmospherics a go—go. sloppy smooches Q) hand-outs and join-ins C2) Glitz. glamour and pzazz C3)
Magic. A proper play for kids with enough class for grown-ups too. Superlative production values make for the spookiest show in town. (NC)
lot as green as she’s cabbage coloured: Irene Macnougall ln Merlin the Magnificent
The List 15 Dec 1995-11 Jan 199677