The Pantomime Redemption has carried out two audacious victories before the play had even started: firstly, they had manage to stave off the rain so the performance could take place in Vanbrugh Bowl, rather than the dining hall. Secondly, it had banished the geese from the stage, which was marked out with goose feathers, in a sinister warning to the fowl. During the performance a huge band of marauding geese circled the periphery and at one point flocked in such magnitude that it temporarily distracted the (impressively large) audience. But the stewards were on hand to defend the space. At one point chasing ducks from the stage. These triumphant victories were carried through into the pantomime itself.
The whole cast opening number and the subsequent uber-pretentious interpretive pantomime was a great opening, especially after the audience had been warmed up to an almost rowdy level of participation by Narrator Lewis Chandler. Indeed, there were times when over enthusiastic, or perhaps tired and emotional, members of the audience pre-empted the actors lines, and shouted them out. However the cast coped excellently with this, especially lead Rory Cartwright (playing Andy Dufresne), who bantered with the audience, at no point letting the slightly raucous “he’s behind you’s!” put him off. I think the atmosphere was largely due to it being the last performance, and the outside venue leading to plenty of drinking, but this all just added to the enormous sense of fun Pantsoc always manage to achieve in their performances.
Now I must admit, I have never actually seen The Shawshank Redemption, so am reviewing from a disadvantage, but I went with a friend who patiently explained all the relevant jokes to me, and as a history student I did what we do best and wikipediaed it. So hopefully this review isn’t too uninformed. It was set in a dystopian future where all slapstick is banned in favour of “art” with a strong emphasis on interpretive dance. Having recently seen a play which included two sequences of interpretive dance and a scene set in a uterus, I saw how terrifying such a future could be.
As ever with PantSoc the cast list was impressively extensive, holding to their rule of giving everyone who auditioned a part. It was great to see how they had taken all comers and turned it into a cast, capable of some pretty amazing dance routines (the pantomime take on Robbie Williams’s “Candy” in the finale was a particular favourite). The first half was perhaps a little over long, and flabby, it could have done with a bit of rigorous cutting, but the second half was fantastic and kept a great momentum throughout. The writing was on the whole excellent, possibly my favourite part was “The Three Bushes”: Kate Bush (Rhianna Johnson), George Bush (James Bennet) and Panto Bush ( Jamie Beckett). George’s Bushisms were brilliant, including “disguisoflaged”. Kate Bush being defeated by dubstep was also a highlight. This was part of a wider reimagining of your favourite panto characters who all had brief cameos in the chorus, creating an opportunity for some great one liners, including Puberty Pinocchio (Alex Boyall) who stormed off singing My Chemical Romance.
I could mention all the lead actors individually but they were all uniformly strong, and I’d be sure to miss someone. They all coped with the outdoor space and sang well even when without a mike. I must add though that the casting of Anjali Vyas-Brannick (leader of the anti-Spotted campaign) as sex pest Jafar was a particular stroke of genius, as she managed to be both hilarious and highlight how ridiculous and insecure all the catcalling really is.
Obviously credit to all the crew, directors, producers and writers who managed to create this juggernaut of pantomime goodness. I’ll end in the words of the dame, it was truly “pantastic!”