Alice in Wonderland @ Marylebone Theatre

This new adaptation of Alice in Wonderland packs a mountain of brilliance into a one-hour package full of delightful moments. The production is cohesive and unified; combining the princples of panto, puppetry, and physical theatre, the result is a slick and seamless visual feast which has jokes and fun moments for all ages, mixing the original Lewis Carroll text with contemporary references (and the odd groaner…it wouldn’t be a panto-style performance without it).

Particular stand outs were the use of physical theatre techniques to create the magic moments in the story; whether it is Alice falling down the well, her growing and shrinking, or the cartoonish relationship between characters, each beat of movement is filled with intention and consideration to create specific and thoughtful images.

This is accompanied by some fun and at times silly puppetry — my favourite of which was the unique way that the sea of tears was created.

Finally, the panto elements, staged so that the characters are “on the level” of the young audience speaking directly to them, the villainous Queen of Hearts simultaneously a panto Dame, Donald Trump, and Latrice Royale from Drag Race US, and silly pop song references — each of which contribute to the silly, fun, referential nature of the production.

This is children’s theatre done to perfection.

Peter Pan @ Harrow Arts

Harrow Arts Centre’s 2024 panto offering is a high-energy “what came next” story of Peter Pan and Captain Hook, leaning on the traditional storyline of the boy who won’t grow up to tell a story of family love, friendship, and second chances. 

The production values are high overall; a cleverly deployed yet simple set, supported by well considered costume design, with foy for Peter to fly (!) and multiple pyrotechnics and confetti cannons at key moments, creating an air of circus-like excitement. The young audience were engaged throughout, and the script cleverly adjusted in time to the weaning attention spans of young audience members, with surprises and interaction at just the right moments. 

The cast were evenly matched, with standout performances from Captain Hook (James Tobias Clifford), Silly Sammy (Emmett Carroll), and Sally Starkers (the hilarious dame, performed by Philip McParland). The chorus were well rehearsed on challenging choreography, and the young cast members rounding out the production were eager and skilled. 

Music Direction and lighting were the only areas that lagged; despite clever muical choices and a talented group, a few song choices didn’t suit the range of actors (Peter Pan in particular) and despite the excitement of the foy, an over-eager fog machine and missed lighting design meant we hardly saw Peter flying. 

Cinderella @ Watford Palace Theatre

You might not believe this, given the regular content around here, but we love a panto. When you think about the array of theatre experiences, panto is an entry point for thousands of people; for many kids it is their first experience of the theatre. A panto is silly, irreverent, funny, weird, and wonderful at its best.

This year’s offering from The Watford Palace had an enjoyable premise; riding the current 90’s trend, it sets Cinderella in 1990’s Watford. There are discmans, political references, and a magical furby. Some elements of this work well — the ugly stepsisters as Britney and Xtina (with Xtina in drag) are very funny, if uneven performances. Cinderella as the future popstar bringing future music is great. However the music choices do not consistently fit the theme, and at times the story and performances as a whole flag — the overall slingshot energy of the show through to the end needed work.

Overall though, the children (and lets be honest, most adults) in the audience had a delightful time that will stick with them. And isn’t that the point?