THEATRE | Previews & Reviews
REVIEW DRUM’N’BASS DRAMA THE JUNGLE BOOK ●●●●● Citizens Theatre, Glasgow, until Sun 5 Jan
Rudyard Kipling is down with the kids: who knew? The Citizens Theatre’s festive version of The Jungle Book is a two- hour long pun on jungle the musical genre as well as the place where bears, snakes, monkeys and wolves battle over small boys (this is fiction, not David Attenborough).
It’s a visual treat, mixing both meanings of the word in a neon, streamer-strewn set that allows the cast to leap, swing, climb and pole dance around the space. The costumes are grand, full of references and jokes. Shere Khan - a fizzing, menacing, blinging Lanre Malaolu - is particularly fine in red PVC joggers, a tribal tattoo-printed bodysuit and full- length tiger skin coat.
The plot, however, sags. It jumps from wordy drama (with drumming) to panto participation. Mowgli is also a problem: Jake Davies plays him as a whining trustafarian, complete with ratty Caucasian dreadlocks and funny sandals. Empathy? No chance. It picks up after the interval. The choreography is pacy. It looks great. But looks aren’t everything. (Anna Burnside)
PREVIEW PIANIST MEETS PANTO PIANOMIME Summerhall, Edinburgh, Mon 16–Sun 22 Dec
Will Pickvance’s Fringe show Anatomy of the Piano matched musical virtuosity with wry humour, as he deconstructed – both metaphorically and literally – his chosen instrument. Returning to Summerhall – a venue that is suited to his intelligent, subversive style – Pickvance is inventing a new genre: the Pianomime.
‘There is definitely some sort of continuity from my last
show,’ Pickvance says. ‘Piano, one man, screen, fictional wisdom. The screen will be more argumentative in this one.’ But whereas Anatomy rolled along on Pickvance’s talent
and ponderings, here he has added a seasonal touch. Feeling that z-listers and bad pop have ruined pantomime’s reputation, Pickvance aims to redeem it. ‘I am ambivalent about pantomimes,’ he says. ‘I have directed the music for shows and encountered the z-listers personally, and there’s a poignancy to these guys and the need to keep the show going on. And there’s the classic on-stage/off-stage juxtaposition.’ Nevertheless, he finds an echo in them of his own work. ‘I enjoy the anarchy in music making and improvising, and the farce of pantomime doesn’t seem that far away,’ he says. ‘I do hope to mess with the format of pantomime itself, with a nod to a very durable form.’ (Gareth K Vile)
REVIEW CLASSIC MUSICAL WHITE CHRISTMAS Edinburgh Festival Theatre, until Sat 4 Jan ●●●●●
For those of you who haven’t seen the movie, a quick recap: ex-soldiers turned entertainers Phil and Bob are planning their new show in Miami when they meet singing sisters Judy and Betty. After a bit of back and forth, the boys follow the girls to their engagement at the Columbia Inn in Vermont, which they discover is run by their former general. Vermont, however, is unseasonably warm for the festive time of year, and the hotel is struggling. Can the gang present a show that will revive the inn’s failing fortunes and maybe fall in love along the way? Of course they can: what kind of schmaltzy Christmas adventure would this be if they couldn’t?
David Morgan’s stage production stays with the schmaltz, but some minor streamlined story changes mean we’re never bogged down by saccharine sentiment. Steve Houghton (Bob), Paul Robinson (Phil), Rachel Stanley (Betty) and Jayde Westaby (Judy) are an engaging lead foursome, and while they’re occasionally forced to muddle through some of the script’s phonier dialogue, their song-and-dance credentials are impeccable. And choreographer Randy Skinner deserves massive kudos for his work here, especially in the showstopping second-act opener, ‘I Love a Piano’. The remainder of the second act sags slightly after that rambunctious start – the
obstacles thrown in our heroes’ way are dealt with in an increasingly hurried manner – and even the general’s big moment is something of an anticlimax. The production rushes impatiently towards that titular singalong finale – so it’s a good thing that when it gets there, all sense of festive cheer is restored, and then some. Add an extra star if you’re lucky enough to find snow falling as you leave. (Niki Boyle)
REVIEW ALTERNATIVE PANTO PETER PANTO AND THE INCREDIBLE STINKERBELL Tron Theatre, Glasgow, until Sat 4 Jan ●●●●●
Johnny McKnight, never knowingly understated, has cheekily redefined pantomime for this generation. Peter Panto continues in this vein, with an explosion of kitsch. The original story has been given some distinctive Glaswegian tweaks and classic McKnight elements: alliteration, scathing satire on conspicuous consumption and high-level camp. Its stall is set out early with a dance routine that imagines Busby Berkeley let loose in Victoria’s. Meanwhile, the pirate scene is relocated to the Blue Lagoon chippie. Kenny Miller’s glorious Day-Glo design looks tactile,
festooned with fur, pink stars and Kermit the Frog, but it’s the unholy trinity of Anita Vettesse as Captain New Look, Darren Brownlie as Chai Thai and Louise McCarthy as affected stage-school brat West End Wendy who are the real draw. Sally Reid’s lovelorn, flatulent Stinkerbell provides the pathos, as well as fart gags.
It’s not recommended for little ones (as evinced by several distracted wriggling tots) especially with its single entendres (sometimes a battered sausage is not a battered sausage) but with McKnight’s wonderfully savvy and layered writing, teenagers and adults should love the twerking references and bitchy banter. None of this is especially ironic, as McKnight clearly has a genuine love for what he does. Just don’t get him started on Waitrose. (Lorna Irvine)
122 THE LIST 12 Dec 2013–23 Jan 2014