PANTOMIME is all about entertaining the kids (oh, yes it is) and on that score Cinderella at Blackpool Grand Theatre got ten out of ten from a cheering young audience last Thursday night.
The youngsters were, in fact, the stars of the show, enthusiastically taking part in all the slapstick fun, clapping, singing and booing in all the right places.
There were some moments when they provided the best laughs of the night with their own little quips on the goings-on on stage.
And therein lies a tale. Because this panto didn't live up to the reputation it has acquired in recent years.
Was that because Tom Bright, the creator of so many side-splitting hits in the past, did not grace the stage as the Dame? True, he wrote and directed this year's show, but there was a vital ingredient missing for all that.
The finest pantomimes surely are those that keep the kids laughing and cheering but also have running alongside the "Oh yes he is, oh no he isn't" routines a touch of adult humour (and I don't mean "dirty") that, if done well, can be uproarious?
Sadly, there was nothing of that here. Bobby Kent and Jamie Morris as the "Ugly Sisters" Polly Filla and Silly Cilla relied too much on outrageous costumery and even more ridiculous wigs for laughs. They would have been more at home at Funny Girls.
Ruth Madoc gave a strong performance as the Fairy Godmother and the audience warmed to her. But was it really necessary to go back to Hi-De-Hi and Gladys Pugh for laughs?
Cinderella (Philippa Healey) was suitably sweet and had a delightful voice which we didn't hear enough of, while Mark Homer as Buttons deserves credit for some hard work keeping the kids amused. Amira Matthews (Prince Charming) and Karen Holmes (Dandini) gave polished performances and provided some pleasant musical moments.
Tom Owen (son of the late Bill Owen) brought a touch of Last of the Summer Wine to his role as Baron Hardup -- and not much else.
The children from the Barbara Jackson School of Dance did an excellent -- if undistinguished -- job, but even the choreography was disappointing.
Come back Tom Bright. All could be forgiven.
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