Puss In Boots

presented by Lancaster Footlights
Grand Theatre, Lancaster
Friday 8 - Saturday 30 December 2006

It’s Christmas time – again. Time to carry out the same old rituals of buying presents, erecting trees, untangling the lights, visiting the In-Laws and, of course, going to see the panto. It has been a tradition of our family now for the last seven years to take our three children to see a pantomime and for the past five of these we opted for the Lancaster Grand as it is close, the productions are usually very good, the tickets are reasonably priced and at the end of the day, why travel miles to see a show when all pantos are pretty much the same….. or so I thought.

I would like to personally thank the Grand Theatre this year for staging a show that not only the kids enjoyed, but I did too for a change! This year they have really pulled it off – not only does the show have all the usual elements of kiddie friendly audience participation, gags, laughs, sing-a-longs and slapstick but it also has some very clever humour that us oft forgotten adults can chortle along with too.

This year the show is pure fun. Gone are the dance schools in ill placed routines and half darkness, gone are the characters who speak in rhyme, gone is the endless exposition and jokes so old they should be in a museum. At last the Grand Theatre has stopped taking pantomime so seriously – you can tell that they are just out to have fun and it is infectious.

The fact that the Dame tries to end the show early and drags the chorus on in a state of undress to do a walkdown.

The casts interaction with the storyteller – a character who is usually left on the sidelines is drawn in by the other characters and made fun of because his version of the tale doesn’t quite fit what’s going on on stage.

The bad guy who is just as daft and flawed as the good guys but still manages to be evil enough to get his quota of boos – but not so bad as to send small children crying into the foyer.

The songs – that actually fit in with the story and aren’t just randomly placed, flavour of the month ditties that have no relevance to anything. The King and Dame’s love song is a great example of keeping the adults amused with the lyrics and the kids laughing at the silly dancing and the tap dance version of Always Look on The Bright Side was wonderful – and well done for doing it yourselves and not getting a dance school in.

The re-enactment of act one at breakneck speed at the beginning of act two in case we had forgotten anything and the way in which the evil wizard was defeated was genius and the most fun I’ve had at beating a bad guy in panto.

If there were any negatives to the performance there were only two that I noticed. The opening number which should draw us all in probably wasn’t loud enough and talking of sound – perhaps the guy who is dealing with that needs a little more practice as sometimes the volume wasn’t quite right and I have a sneaky suspicion there should have been a doorbell at some point!

And finally the humour! For the spoken jokes there is not one old chestnut in the lot! Lots of up to date laughs and even some jokes that only us grown ups should get (even though I heard some younger giggles at the mention of the Dame’s chest!) and the visual gags are fast and furious with people being knocked out, water flying (I’m surprised the Dame had any make-up left by the end of the show!), a vast array of props in the king’s pocket, a banana as a cane and a special mention to Tiny the rabbit who was just hilarious and with all these elements added in – it still managed to retain the fairy tale magic that pantomime should and a story running all the way through! (Take note at that one – I have seen past pantos where story seems to be the least important thing on anyone’s mind!)

I would pick out individual cast members for a mention here but there was no-one who was better than the others – every single person on the stage was bursting with energy from the main parts to the chorus and I would not wish to pass comment as I have the greatest respect for anyone who can do what these people do nightly!

I will however let you know that out of my three darlings the favourites were obviously the good guys – Useless, Brainless, Ida, Tom, Puss & Tiny (although I secretly liked Dull and Alfazar – but you can’t tell your children you’re rooting for the bad guys!) I would mention the cast by their proper names but unfortunately the programme we bought is sellotaped to a bedroom wall and I worry I will have to redecorate if I try to remove it!

All I can say is congratulations again – what was once a run of the mill family tradition has now become, for me, something I will look forward to next year and if The Grand Carries on like this – I will be dragging my children along to see it way after they have outgrown panto just for my own pleasure!

James Brannigan
With a bit of help from 3 little Brannigans.
12/12/06

Puss in Boots. Grand Theatre, St Leonardgate, Lancaster.
8 - 30 December 2006:
Fri 8 - Tu 12 ; Fri 15 - Tu 19; Fri 22 - Sun 24; Tu 26 - Sat 30.
All evening performances 7.30pm.
All Saturday and Sunday performances 2.30pm
Special Boxing Day Show 5.30pm.
£8 £7 (concessions)
A Lancaster Footlights Production.