There ain’t nothing like a panto Dame: Clive Rowe as Mother Goose. Photo credit: Robert Workman
Panto: Mother Goose
Theatre: Hackney Empire
Playwright: Susie McKenna
Director: Susie McKenna
Review by Joy Francis
Panto season has launched with an almighty bang in Hackney with the return of Mother Goose, Susie McKenna’s acclaimed camp-fest, played by the biggest panto dame in town – Clive Rowe.
Set in the province of Hackneytopia, single parent Mother Goose is struggling to make ends meet for her and her son Billy (a childlike Kat B) after losing her goose farm.
She is loved by all the classic fairy tale characters in the village of Dalstonia for her jollity and kindness. But evil witch Vanity (a starry Susie McKenna) wants to corrupt Mother Goose by taking her soul and making her cruel – for no good reason other than she can. She commissions Barron Barmy (theatre veteran Tony Timberlake) and his nephew Frightening Freddie (the hilarious Darren Hart) to turf her out of her home.
Good witch Charity (the sublime Sharon D Clarke) endeavours to stop her sister Vanity’s evil plan by sending Priscilla, the golden egg laying goose, to protect Mother Goose. There is a flaw with this plan. Priscilla’s ability to lay golden eggs on demand makes Mother Goose a tad greedy. Like a lottery winner, she splashes the gold on designer outfits and a palace where she holds ostentatious parties. Instead of being happy, she loses her verve, joy and compassion, much to the dismay of her son.
Vanity cannot believe her luck and plays on Mother Goose’s insecurity about her advancing age and fading looks by promising her eternal beauty and youth – at a price.
Clarke, who can turn her hand to anything, is luminous as Charity in her 70s Abba outfit. Her entrance on a swing, descending from the rafters singing Chaka Khan’s I’m Every Woman, surrounded by glitter and smoke, signals one hell of a high octane roller coaster ride. Writer Susie McKenna gives you just that, though with some sharp bumps and the odd narrative detour before getting back on track.
This uneveness is partly because McKenna’s panto is overloaded with material. She seems determined that the audience doesn’t even consider the word boredom. From classic gags (“I’m so poor, I can’t even pay attention” – boom, boom), in-jokes (Clarke dancing to her 1991 hit single, I Wanna Give you Devotion), to popular culture (jabs at Ant and Dec), cultural inclusion (Jamaican and West African patois aplenty) and nods to other musicals, such as Wicked, there is something for everyone.
Of course, there has to be a fairy tale romance, in this case an unconvincing one between Princess Jill (Abigail Rosser) and Billy. The bromance between charming narcissist Prince Jack (a very funny Matt Dempsey) and Frightening Freddie has more chemistry.
Sisters at war: Sharon D Clarke (Charity) and Susie McKenna (Vanity). Photo credit: Robert Workman
Despite the very strong performances, including McKenna’s Vanity channelling Liza Minnelli on speed, the star of the panto, without question, is Dame Rowe. Looking divine in his multitude of outrageous costumes and head sculptures, he is Lady Gaga meets Coronation Street’s legendary diva Elsie Tanner. His shameless ad libbing has the cast in repressed stitches. Rowe dances with aplomb and twirls McKenna’s witty and cheesy lines around his mouth like a fine wine before spitting them out with class.
Amid all the fun and frolics, McKenna drives home the message that greed isn’t good. That we live in a multicultural society and each have something to offer. How the recession puts pressure on our morals alongside a sideswipe against the government’s bedroom tax. Underpinning the panto is that we all want to be loved.
Lotte Collett’s wonderful set design is an ever-changing visual treat, and technical feat, taking us from village to fun fair to a glittering palace and enchanted forest with great flair. As for the costumes, made by a team of designers, there is a future home for them at the V&A Museum. And the surprising puppetry is both charming and enchanting.
Audience participation is not just encouraged but demanded. Beware if you are male and sitting in the front three rows. Also if you have an aversion to Pharrell Williams’ megawatt hit Happy, then you may need to leave halfway through. But if you like singing, dancing and stamping your feet then bring your glow sticks.
At two and a half hours long, you need stamina and the attention span of a Mensa genius to keep up. If you are feeling game, it’ll be worth it.
Mother Goose is at Hackney Empire until 4 January 2015.