Pantomime Review: Cinderella, Empire Theatre, Liverpool

Image Source: Mark McNulty

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Pantomime
Genre: Comedy
Date: December 19 2017
Location: Empire Theatre, Liverpool

The Empire Theatre has always been at the heart of Liverpool's pantomime scene during the festive season, and the venue delivers another panto-tastic experience for all the family with Cinderella.

The story is well-known: Cinders (Olivia Sloyan) struggles to make headway in her life because of her two wicked step-sisters (Daniel Taylor, who plays Hernia, and James Templeton, who plays Verruca), but a chance meeting with Prince Charming (Duncan James), accompanied by his servant Dandini (Scott Mobley), changes that. Not to mention the intervention of both her friend Buttons (John Evans) and The Fairy Godmother (Jodie Prenger), both of whom help Cinderella to keep her head up and her hopes high for a better future.

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Pantomime Review: Aladdin, Echo Arena Auditorium, Liverpool

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Echo Arena Auditorium

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Pantomime
Genre: Comedy
Date: December 16 2017
Location: Echo Arena Auditorium, Liverpool

We're just days away from Christmas now, which means that the panto season is well and truly in full swing now. The latest venue to launch its festive show is Echo Arena Auditorium, with their offering of the timeless tale known as Aladdin. ("Oh, no they're not!" "Oh, yes they are!")

The story of Aladdin is fairly easy to follow for kids and adults alike: Aladdin (played by Michael Auger, star of Collabro from Britain's Got Talent) and his daft family (his brother Wishy Washy, played by Mark Jones, and his mother Widow Twankey, played by Ruby Murry) are in Peking, where he encounters Princess Jasmine (the debuting Jessica Johann), much to the chagrin of her father who wants her to avoid falling in love with someone who lacks great wealth.

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Theatre Review: The Wizard Of Oz - Epstein Theatre, Liverpool

Image Source: Bill Elms

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Pantomime
Genre: Comedy
Date: October 29 2017
Location: Epstein Theatre, Liverpool

The Wizard Of Oz is one of the grandest, most magical and most popular stories of all-time. The tale of Dorothy and Toto having to overcome the Wicked Witch and appease The Wizard Of Oz in order to return home from Kansas, with assistance along the way from three unusual yet trustworthy accomplices (Scarecrow, Tin-Tin & The Cowardly Lion), is one that I'm sure everybody reading this will have seen in the form of the classic 1939 movie.

A theatre version of TWOZ is currently touring the region, and it has just completed a stop-off at the Epstein Theatre in Liverpool. So, it was with anticipation and a fair bit of excitement that I headed to one of my local venues to see an all-time great story come to life in physical form.

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Pantomime Review: Sleeping Beauty (St. Helens Theatre Royal)

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St. Helens Theatre Royal

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Pantomime
Genre: Comedy
Date: October 22 2017
Location: St. Helens Theatre Royal

Pantomimes have increased in number over the last few years. From the usual Christmas tradition, we have been treated to Easter offerings, and now we have another pantomime just in time for Halloween.

Mind you, though there are some ghostly scenes, Sleeping Beauty is all about entertainment and fairy tale-esque magic, bringing smiles to children's faces while eliciting huge laughs from the adults. The great pantos do this seamlessly, and Sleeping Beauty at St. Helens Theatre Royal does a fine job of pulling this off to the point where, by the end, you're left with a positive impression on the characters and the show as a whole.

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Pantomime Review: Sleeping Beauty

Image Source: Epstein Theatre

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Pantomime
Genre: Comedy
Date: April 12 2017
Location: Epstein Theatre, Liverpool, England

The Easter pantomime tradition returns once again to the Epstein Theatre with Sleeping Beauty.

Those who know the common story of Sleeping Beauty and, in particular, those who have previously seen Epstein pantos will know what to expect. We are introduced to Silly Billy (Kyle Corrin) and Dame Nurse Nellie (Michael Chapman), who are looking after the recently-born Princess Aurora. However, the evil fairy Carabosse (Tina Malone) casts a wicked curse on Aurora, which comes to fruition on the eve of her 18th birthday, by which point Aurora (Lucy Edge) has caught the eye of the handsome Prince (911 singer Lee Brennan). Cue various humorous situations as all involved look to overcome the witch's curse.

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Pantomime Review: Beauty and The Beast (St. Helens Theatre Royal)

Image Source: The Reviews Hub

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Pantomime
Genre: Comedy
Date: April 1 2017
Location: St. Helens Theatre Royal

Beauty and The Beast is all the rage right now, given the recent cinematic release of the newest Disney adaptation, and so it's very good timing to see a good old-fashioned pantomime version of the classic tale for the Easter season.

The St. Helens crowd was treated to plenty of comedy capers with this Beauty and The Beast performance. Belle (Amy Thompson) rejects the advances of Gaston (Philip McGuinness), who is supported by his evil mother Madame Botox (Hannah Potts), and instead wishes to fall in love with the handsome Prince (Richard Hazlewood). However, the wicked Madame Botox uses poison to turn the Prince into a Beast, who becomes a hideous and terrifying creature.

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Snow White

Image Source: Mark McNulty

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Pantomime
Genre: Comedy
Date: December 13 2016
Location: Empire Theatre, Liverpool, England

There have been many memorable and completely different shows at the Empire this year, such as Last Night A DJ Saved My Life, Annie, The Bodyguard, Chicago, Blood Brothers, Cats and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. However, there is only one way that you could end a year at any theatre, especially the Empire, and that is with the annual, star-studded Christmas pantomime.

The show this year is Snow White, and Jorgie Porter leads a cast of stand-out names by playing Snow White. Leanne Campbell plays Queen Morgiana in her fourth consecutive panto appearance at the Empire, Liam Mellor reprises his role of Muddles, Colin Connor acts as Herman The Henchman, Stephen Fletcher is Prince Brian Of Birkenhead, and Pete Price makes a cameo as the face and voice of the Magic Mirror. Oh, and as the title of the show would have you expect, there are appearances by the Seven Dwarves.

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Aladdin

Image Source: Epstein Theatre

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Pantomime
Genre: Comedy
Date: December 12 2016
Location: Epstein Theatre, Liverpool, England

The world has changed a lot in 2016, what with Brexit, Donald Trump becoming US President and the imminent demise of Deal Or No Deal (hey, I love the show). However, some things will always remain the same, and fortunately one of them is the annual tradition for Christmas pantomime. Amongst the top shows on offer this winter season is Aladdin, at the Epstein Theatre.

The latest panto production at the Epstein may just be its strongest festive offering yet, as the simple story is told with the addition of interesting characters, extended dance and song routines, and a huge amount of comedy. It is that humour, and the amount of genuinely funny lines and ad-libbed situations, which made this such a treat to watch.

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Little Red and The Big Bad Wolf

Image Source: Unity Theatre

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Pantomime
Genre: Comedy
Date: December 3 2016
Location: Unity Theatre, Liverpool, England

The fairytale of Little Red Riding Hood is known by virtually everyone, with the target audience obviously being young children. The story has slight differences in some versions, but needless to say, the core elements remain the same, including the relatively short time it takes to tell the tale.

Therefore, Little Red and The Big Bad Wolf was an intriguing prospect. How do you take a story which everybody will know, and which doesn't last too long, and create a theatre show out of it that will maintain interest and provide entertainment for attendees of all ages? Well, anybody who feels that this is an impossible task would be surprised, because Little Red ... ticks all the boxes, whilst adding some unique layers which ensure that it stands out from the classic fairytale.

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Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Pantomime
Genre: Comedy
Date: March 25 2016
Location: Epstein Theatre, Liverpool, England

It's Easter time, which can only mean one thing: it's panto season!

Well, okay, that's usually around Christmas time, but over the last few years, Easter has become an additional point of annual pantomime, led on a local level by the Epstein Theatre and their latest production (well, as created by LHK Productions), Snow White.

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Dick Whittington

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Pantomime
Genre: Comedy
Date: December 15 2015
Location: Liverpool Empire Theatre

The Liverpool Empire is in panto season, and its festive production this year is Dick Whittington, starring a good number of famous faces and featuring plenty of funny scenarios and eye-catching moments to ensure that theatregoers of all ages would love this show.

The plot is a little less clear than in other shows, as the story takes some unexpected twists and turns, but the main story arc is that Dick Whittington (played by Kurtis Stacey) and his cat Tommy (Hayley Goold) have arrived in Liverpool looking for work, and not only do they find a job quickly working at a shop belonging to Alderman Fitzwarren (Pete Price), but he also finds love in the form of the shop owner's daughter Alice (Leanne Campbell). The city has a problem with rats, hence why the cat is of great use to Alderman, but King Rat (Warren Donnelly) still has plans to spoil everybody's plans.

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Cinderella

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Pantomime
Genre: Comedy
Date: December 14 2015
Location: Epstein Theatre, Liverpool, England

It's Christmas time, which means that it's panto season! ("Oh, no it isn't! Oh, yes it is!")

The Epstein Theatre served up a fun and at times unpredictable night of yuletide entertainment with its incarnation of Cinderella, the story of a girl who finds her true love in the form of Prince Charming, but is denied the opportunity to be with him by her two ugly sisters and her evil mother. However, with the assistance of some friends (including a Fairy Godmother, played by Beryl Marsden), Cinders finds her way to Prince Charming's Ball (which he holds solely to try and meet Cinderella again), but a midnight exit and a forgotten shoe lead to the show's big question mark: can Prince Charming locate Cinderella, and will they be married and live happily ever after?

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Beauty & The Beast

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Pantomime
Genre: Comedy
Date: April 3 2015
Location: Epstein Theatre, Liverpool, England

It's the Easter season again, and for the second consecutive year, the Epstein Theatre decided to celebrate the occasion with a unique pantomime performance, this time of Beauty & The Beast. Featuring several notable names, as well as talented local performers, the show promised to deliver a good amount of entertainment and Easter cheer for spectators of all ages, and so it proved when I attended on Good Friday.

Beauty & The Beast essentially tells the story of how a young prince falls in love with a beautiful village girl, but problems arise when the prince is cast under an evil spell by a wicked enchantress, which changes his physical and facial features, turning him into a hideous-looking beast. In the meantime, another cocky young prince meets the girl and declares his love for her, but it becomes obvious that her true affections lie solely with the original man of her dreams. As such, she makes it her quest to rescue him from the enchantress' evil spell.

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