While pantomimes aren’t a well-known concept to some, they are a Christmas tradition for many families in the UK. It’s also the one-time audience participation in the theatre that is not only expected but encouraged. Oh no, it’s not, I hear you say. Well, oh yes, it is!
The Irish Theatre Players’ production of The Twelve Days of Christmas takes us to the enchanting village of Old Dimpley Bottom, where the Royal family are planning a grand Festive Ball to bring joy to all the villagers. To mark this splendid occasion, a giant advent calendar with 12 doors is constructed on the Village Green, with one door to be opened each day until Christmas.
However, the festive spirit is threatened when Wizbad, the wicked wizard (Adrian Mills), steals the keys to the advent calendar and scatters them across the globe. Aided by the good Fairy (Anna Sirotkina), the characters embark on an exhilarating race against time, travelling to the world, from South America to Ireland, in their quest to retrieve the missing keys.’
The set got everyone in the Christmas spirit and saw clever use of a single flat interchanged as the residents of Old Dimpley Bottom travelled far and wide in search of the keys to save Christmas. The stage lights would go down, and when they were lit again, we had been transported to a new exotic destination with singing, dancing (yes, of course, some of it Irish) and a range of well-considered props to confirm where we were.
The Twelve Days of Christmas is fun for the whole family. It has the right amount of innuendo to keep the adults laughing, but the kids especially will love it. The audience was clearly well versed in their role, with the expected booing, hissing, and ‘he’s behind you’ happening from the very start.
The cast embraced their roles and hammed it up. The traditional pantomime dame, Gertie Gusset (Peter O’Connor), was a crowd favourite, and relatable local council workers Stampit and Clampit (Nathan Holland and Amanda Walker) were appropriately annoying as they provided fines for inappropriate parking of a wheelbarrow and an announcement after the interval that given its Christmas, instead of wheel clamping audience members’ cars, they’d been nice and had them towed.
Having a reasonably large cast, often on stage at the one time, and with children making up half of the ensemble, things could become a bit of a mess but the action was well choreographed and made great use of the space available, sometimes extending out into the crowd.
The costumes were fabulous and plentiful, keeping some of the main characters’ outfits simple but adding accessories such as Queen Cupcake’s headband…you guessed it, a cupcake. Every different country travelled to in search of keys featured costumes to suit, from French berets to leprechaun outfits.
With Christmas less than three weeks away, what are you waiting for? Head down to The Irish Club of WA in Subiaco to get yourself in the Christmas spirit. There’s even a bar should you need some spirit of a different kind.
Performance Dates: December 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15
Thursday, Friday & Saturday’s at 7.30pm
Saturday & Sunday matinees at 1.30pm.
Book your tickets quickly here:- TAZ Tix.
This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.
