Mother Goose - Duke of York's & Tour

[n1david]

So glad I got to see this last night - an absolute joy. For various reasons Christmas is going to be a bit stressful for me this year and this perfectly took me out of everything for 2 and a bit hours, as John Bishop promised it would.

It's a joy from start to finish, everyone on stage is having an absolute ball, and the joy is infectious. Highlights include Anna-Jane Casey's Don't Rain on My Parade, Mother Goose's fashion parade at the top of Act 2 and Oscar Conlen-Morrey's infectiously enthusiastic Jack. But it's Ian's show and Bishop turns out to be a perfect foil.

It's a pure panto, don't look into the plot holes too deeply, go with the flow, shout, scream, clap, notice the jibes at the other panto at the Palladium, and have the time of your life.

Still not sure it will have the same effect in Oxford in March though...

Footnote 1: For fans of political journalism, is the Bat based on Sebastian Payne?
Footnote 2: Amused on Oscar's Twitter feed how many gays are appearing on his Grindr profile with "Hiya Jack!"
Footnote 3: Thanks to ATG for finally coming good and getting me into the show at a reasonable price this week rather than bumping me to late January.

[stevemar]

n1david, Mark, dlevi, Steve (and for the tip of £25 tickets) and others - thanks for your reviews.

Of course I realise it’s restricted view and have checked Theatremonkey, but is front row (AA) very much affected by a high stage? Also, seems we should be mostly safe in the front row, and is that your experience in London also?

[Mark]

Dec 21, 2022 16:04:30 GMT stevemar said:

n1david, Mark, dlevi, Steve (and for the tip of £25 tickets) and others - thanks for your reviews.

Of course I realise it’s restricted view and have checked Theatremonkey, but is front row (AA) very much affected by a high stage? Also, seems we should be mostly safe in the front row, and is that your experience in London also?

I was front row. The stage is fairly high, I’m a tad over 6ft and it was alright for me, but definitely a need to “look up”. Felt very immersed and even got some sweets

[stevemar]

Thanks Mark - ah, as 5ft to 5ft 6 in our party, as I suspected might need to get booster seats! It’ll be fine though I’m sure

[Mark]

Dec 21, 2022 16:31:03 GMT stevemar said:

Thanks Mark - ah, as 5ft to 5ft 6 in our party, as I suspected might need to get booster seats! It’ll be fine though I’m sure

You definitely will! I think I saw they had a stash when I went in.

[yokollama]

Went to the first preview and they had issues with the curtain (before the baking, if I remember correctly). I'm guessing it's not part of the show? Ian declined to get off the stage and decided to engage with the audience instead, to which John cracked, not knowing quite how to react.

Ian is as you'd expect - and so sprightly. Don’t Rain on My Parade was an unexpected highlight.

[showgirl]

I'm with dlevi on this in having some reservations except that my comments are more critical. Yes, it's a great show in parts but definitely far too long & imo could, and needs to lose 30 minutes. I also felt there had been too much indulgence with the script and that it needed tightening up. Furthermore although all the female cast members were great singers who could really belt out a number (surely it can't have been coincidence that in comparison, none of the men could sing - though Ian McKellen could of course be excused - but it did seem odd) and there were simply too many random musical interludes of varying styles and which served only to slow the action down even further. I'm all for panto nowadays including pop songs to engage modern audiences but there was a right hotch-potch here. Not only that but there were simply too many female characters clogging up and complicating the plot, particularly Cilla Goose v Puss In Boots. As the former is essential, ditch the latter. As for the irritating king and the feeble, long-drawn-out cake-making session, yes, the last is traditional but why not update that too and make it snappier? As someone who sees mainly plays and always misses the dialogue in musicals, I did find my mind wandering at times when there was nothing on stage to engage with.

On the positive side, Ian Mckellen is amazing for his age and goodness knows how he still does this, day after day, let alone twice on matinee days. I had a brilliant £25 seat in the 2nd row of the circle; the house was almost full and there was a great atmosphere. I really wanted to like it and in part I did, but I think you'd have to be a genuine fan of panto to get the most from it, whereas I'm still in the "yet to be persuaded" category.

[alece10]

According to AJ Caseys Insta the Devine Miss M was in the audience last night.

[stevej678]

Coming to The Lowry from 5-9 April. On sale to members today and general sale next week.

[theatrenerd]

Dec 29, 2022 10:06:58 GMT stevej678 said:

Coming to The Lowry from 5-9 April. On sale to members today and general sale next week.

The show’s social media has teased an announcement coming soon so wondering if it will be more dates or just Salford added on.

If so then I’m hoping for Birmingham or Coventry as it’s easier to get to for me than Wolverhampton.

[marob]

I’d already booked for the Liverpool Empire, so it makes no odds to me, but I always feel a tiny little bit happy whenever I see a production go to the Lowry rather than both of ATG’s central Manchester venues.

[talkingheads]

I really enjoyed this. It was amazing to see Sir Ian tap dancing, he clearly loves panto and it was so lovely to see. John Bishop did well, some nice gags and a good rapport. I have to say that the chap playing Jack was intensely annoying.

[NeilVHughes]

A top evening, one of the best, the cast are having a blast which carries into to the audience, sat front row, does induce some neck strain and nostril views but more than compensated by being so close to the action that included a high five with John Bishop at the end, left with a big smile on my face, all you could ask for.

Jack was channeling his internal James Corden which could be annoying at times but as with everything Panto just went with it.

After seeing the Palladium Panto in the afternoon this was a breath of fresh air, the Palladium Panto has passed its sell by date, same sketches, different order/story and will happily replace with this production going forward if Ian and the team is tempted back next year.

Nice touch to thank the back stage and front of house team and was graced with musical royalty on my way out as Björn Ulvaeus walked past whilst making his way backstage as I was walking out.

[n1david]

Dec 30, 2022 10:32:58 GMT NeilVHughes said:

Jack was channeling his internal James Corden which could be annoying at times but as with everything Panto just went with it.

[theatrenerd]

Bristol, Leicester and Salford confirmed now.

[Dr Tom]

They only need a few more venues and it can keep touring ready for a West End return for Christmas 2023!

(booked in for tomorrow through the weekly rush and looking forward to it)

[mrbarnaby]

Dec 23, 2022 9:23:06 GMT alece10 said:

According to AJ Caseys Insta the Devine Miss M was in the audience last night.

BETTE MIDLER?!!!

[Rory]

Dec 30, 2022 16:58:45 GMT mrbarnaby said:

Dec 23, 2022 9:23:06 GMT alece10 said:

According to AJ Caseys Insta the Devine Miss M was in the audience last night.

BETTE MIDLER?!!!

Yep!!

[stevemar]

I really enjoyed this - great entertainment, and a real ensemble piece.

Hadn’t seen John Bishop on stage before, and he had great interaction with the audience. Sir Ian McKellen was excellent of course and gave it his all, even though he may have had a heavy cold.

I think any weaknesses are down to the writing - the king of Gooseland was rather saddled with a laugh free dialogue. I enjoyed the singing - high praise to Anna Jane Casey and the good/bad witches who nailed their performances.

Thank you to Steve for the tip for the front row seats which were good value. Yes, looking upwards, but fine with booster seats and pretty immersive. Lovely to get sweets and a £50 Gooseland note, a few winks/smiles from JB and hi-five from him and err, the bat.

[Dr Tom]

Enjoyed this today at the 12 noon performance. Strong writing in the first half and the show seemed longer than two and a half hours. I don't know Mother Goose very well, so I'm not sure how traditional this is. I would have cut the joke about the Pope today though. Plenty of jokes about a former PM, but don't know if they will last the tour, it's already hard to remember who she was.

It seems odd having a member of the cast having to come on stage and explain what a pantomime is at the start, but I guess that's for the tourist market who think they are seeing Gandalf. JB used exactly the same joke about an elderly theatregoer as at the pantomime I was at yesterday too.

There's a lot more audience interaction that I'd have expected (all in a good natured way). If you don't want to speak, don't say if you haven't seen a pantomime before. They also brought a little girl on stage.

The cast have a much better aim with water than with sweets (at least in my direction). I can confirm it hurts if a giant beach ball hits you in the back of the head without warning.

Lots of ad-libbing with the microphones conveniently turned on at the right times. Everyone does seem to be enjoying themselves. I presume the Good Fairy falling over during the bows does not happen every show.

Sir Ian gets more innuendo in this than Julian Clary in the Palladium! I'm not sure what the parents thought who brought young children. Nothing terribly offensive (just one "f" word that half slips through) but I imagine many children would be bored. The one near me (around 10) did not seem to be enjoying himself at all, his mother then spent much of the interval tickling him (as you do), but he perked up a bit when one of the small footballs ended up with him in the second half (and no way was he letting that go).

Got to say that Sir Ian puts Clare Halse to shame in the 42nd Street sequence! The whole show is jammed full of musical theatre references. The audience as a whole was not picking up on a lot of them (or I was the only person who found them funny enough to laugh at). Speaking of which, I did find the whole show rather funny, laughing out loud, which is something I rarely do.

There's a very funny cake making scene too (the teenage lad near me was in total hysterics). The cast come into the audience at various times, so you've most chance of interaction if you're on an aisle or on the front row.

Recommended anyway. Check out the weekly rush, I was in Row G in what would otherwise have been a premium seat. The only downside is the rake in the Stalls is not brilliant, so you may have heads in view (as I had), but it's possible to see most things.

And that is 2022 over. A fabulous way to end the year!

[Marwood]

Saw this tonight and thoroughly enjoyed it: I had a seat at the end of the front row and when I sat down and saw how high the stage was I was dreading getting a cricked neck after fifteen minutes and only seeing the actors from their knees up but it was a really good view: I had to strain a couple of times to see some of what was happening in the middle of the stage (ie the snail) but I couldn’t fault the seat (although I missed out when the chocolates were thrown out, I think the turtle felt sorry for me and bunged me a consolation Bounty, but then again I didn’t have to worry when the eggs were lobbed into the audience, and yes one of the big footballs whacked me on the back of the head but I didn’t go into shock)

There were a couple of little children in the audience (God knows what they made of seeing Gandalf in a frock) but the level of humour wasn’t aimed too low to force them to ask their parents embarrassing questions. I was dreading it being like one of those godawful ‘adult’ pantos Jim Davidson used to do with the likes of Charlie Drake but I thought it was more like a mild version of Up Pompeii, especially when the Goose King shouted out ‘shut yer face!’

The music was fine, well performed by the cast but not the sort of stuff I listen to at home but I got the impression the playlist was inspired by the type of places Ian McKellen has been frequenting for the last 50 years or so and I did get up and dance at the end so as not to look like Stadtler or Waldorf so I can say I’ve danced a few feet away from Ian McKellen 😝

Tonight’s show was introduced by John Bishop as the first night on tour where they had someone captioning what was happening with sign language: I couldn’t follow all that she was doing from where I was sitting but it certainly added something to see her out of the corner of my eye.

[thistimetomorrow]

I was there tonight too! I had a wonderful time and really enjoyed myself.

[Marwood]

Didn’t realise it at the time but looking at the program when I got home, I saw that the Goose King and the goat were played by Adam Brown, who played Ori in The Hobbit series of films: is he the first/only actor from the Lord Of The Rings/Hobbit films that McKellen has worked with on stage?

[David J]

Jan 13, 2023 14:57:54 GMT Marwood said:

Didn’t realise it at the time but looking at the program when I got home, I saw that the Goose King and the goat were played by Adam Brown, who played Ori in The Hobbit series of films: is he the first/only actor from the Lord Of The Rings/Hobbit films that McKellen has worked with on stage?

Sylvestor McCoy played the Fool the first time Ian played King Lear in 2007

[Marwood]

Jan 13, 2023 15:07:55 GMT David J said:

Jan 13, 2023 14:57:54 GMT Marwood said:

Didn’t realise it at the time but looking at the program when I got home, I saw that the Goose King and the goat were played by Adam Brown, who played Ori in The Hobbit series of films: is he the first/only actor from the Lord Of The Rings/Hobbit films that McKellen has worked with on stage?

Sylvestor McCoy played the Fool the first time Ian played King Lear in 2007

I meant after the films were made: The Hobbit didn’t start filming until a few years after that (don’t know if McKellen recommended McCoy to Peter Jackson)