By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: ****1/2

WHEN?: Sunday 10 December (matinee), runs through 14 January 2024

This year’s Palladium pantomime is dedicated to its former star Paul O’Grady (Goldilocks and Cinderella) and during it Julian Clary says of him: ‘A year ago he sent me a card wishing me a warm hand on my opening adding that these days I probably needed 2.’

• Read on for reasons including how this show has honed its winning formula with this year’s being the best Palladium pantomime so far

Clary, once again, is the star of the show with his mastery of a saucy 1-liner. Sample line: ‘My name’s Seaman Smee. I answer to Smee but I prefer Seaman.’

But he’s also so light on his feet making the rest of the cast visibly implode with laughter with what we assume are adlibs including with Louis Gaunt’s titular Peter Pan: ‘It’s all plot, plot, plot with you, isn’t it?’

There’s also a repeated gag where Pan asks: ‘Seaman Smee?’ and Clary responds with a dismissive: ‘Not just now, thank you.’

There’s huge strength in depth in the cast which includes My Son’s A Queer‘s Rob Madge as fairy Tink who has an unrequited crush on Pan and has far more to do here than they did in last year’s annual Palladium pantomime including a joy-filled disco mash-up of I Am What I Am and Lady Gaga’s Born This Way.

Frances Mayli McCann (Bonnie & Clyde, Arts Theatre) performs in her native Scottish accent and gets a rough ride from Clary’s Smee who declares at the show’s end: ‘She’s off to Scotland where there’s a deep fried Mars bar with her name on it.’

The biggest reaction of audience joy is reserved for a late number with props which is a twist on a song that often features in the annual show with Nigel Havers asking for it to end by saying: ‘I’ve been electrocuted 9 times’ and Clary responding with: ‘It’s the only way we can keep you alive Nigel.’

But we expect the big draw for many will be Jennifer Saunders (Blithe Spirit, Harold Pinter Theatre) who plays a suitably villainous Captain Hook but it is when her character dons familiar garb in disguise as her beloved Absolutely Fabulous character Edina Monsoon that her appearance really finds its funny bones.

We particularly enjoyed her character’s hatred of the show’s renowned ‘tsunami of smut’ that sees the disguised Hook urging the audience to shout ‘box’, ‘crack’ and ‘flaps’ back at her at 1 point that had us in fits of laughter.

Ventriloquist Paul Zerdin is also in on the joke with his puppet quipping at 1 point: ‘What’s got inside me? Your hand.’

We’ve criticised the show’s lack of heart previously but it’s clear and present this year with its dedication to O’Grady and there’s no shortage of spectacle particularly with the hugely impressive high wire flying of many of the cast not least the act 1 closer.

We’ve loved all the family-friendly Palladium pantomimes that we’ve seen since 2016 including Cinderella, Dick Whittington, Snow White, Goldilocks, and Pantoland at the Palladium, in both 2020 and 2021, and Jack And The Beanstalk starring Dawn French in 2022.

But it’s this year’s offering that we think has been the strongest of a hilarious bunch and we already have much-welcomed confirmation that the annual pantomime will be returning to this venue in 2024.

• Main picture via Facebook courtesy Palladium pantomime
• Have you seen a Palladium pantomime before and are you a fan of Jennifer Saunders? Tickets
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