Sheer Luck Holmes - The Panto

This is a pantomime I have never seen before, and I wasn't disappointed as it had all the elements I would expect from a more traditional panto.

The front curtains opened onto a mid-stage curtain representing a back street in old London Town. A simple sound effect of a fog horn immediately informed the audience that we were in the midst of a famous London 'pea-souper': a good example of how a scene can be established without the need for expensive sets.

The comedy duo of 2 policeman were first on stage, and they promptly set a good pace, as did the Sergeant upon his arrival. They introduced themselves as 'Arthur, Cone and Oil' in what was the first joke of a script riddled with similar puns. In order to make such puns work, you need excellent timing and delivery, and this was definitely something that these actors had worked on. As a result they got many laughs out of the script.

The first chorus number of 'London is London' was energetically performed, with plenty of smiles and confidence, and it was lovely to see a tap dance incorporated into the choreography.

There were some good directorial touches: the strobe lighting used for the chase scene early in Act 1 was very effective and funny; the smoking, bored charladies cleaning Holmes' house created real characters; the two dogs were very well directed and the James Bond spoof using bones for guns was a clever idea. Sherlock Holmes reading the dog magazine (and the dogs reading the crime magazine) was another lovely little touch - it was nice to see the Director paying such attention to detail. The scene in Act 2 involving the creation of the pictures using the performers was well done, and the swapping of bits of costume when they fell over was clever and seamlessly performed.

Back cloths were nicely painted and scene changes were swift and quiet. This, together with the energetic entrances and exits of the performers, particularly the policemen, created a good pace throughout. Lighting was appropriate and sound effects well-timed. Once or twice there were long introductions to songs, leaving the performers with little to do before singing: it is a good idea to either shorten the intros, or to start them under the dialogue, which would help to keep the show moving at such times.

Costumes and wigs (particularly the dame's) were nicely made and well fitting, and the pearly king and queen outfits for the finale were especially nice.

The ballet was beautifully performed by the two older dancers, and what can I say about the little dancers? They were absolutely adorable and stole the show!

This pantomime was performed with great conviction and good humour by the whole cast, which made it enjoyable to watch. Thank you for the invitation to a lovely night's entertainment.

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