Below, is a lovely review by my brother of the latest pantomime at Richmond Theatre “Goldilocks And The Three Bears,” but first is the review my 11 year old niece has done, which is also well worth reading!
MY REVIEW OF GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS – BY J, AGED 11
Goldilocks And The Three Bears was a phenomenal experience! Me, my brother and my dad all went to see it. Every actor was so amazing and enthusiastic.
It was a magical experience and I loved all of the tricks.
I especially loved the humour and how all the actors were so energetic and humorous.
It was very funny how they turned their mistakes into magic and laughter. The props were unbelievable, starting with a tall giraffe, to an animatronic giant gorilla.
The show was like no other, because it wasn’t all about a fairy godmother or a witch.
It was magical and what an experience it was!
I would definitely go and see it again!
REVIEW BY MY BROTHER – AGED 49 1/2
It’s a pretty brave move to step away from faeries, princesses and royal weddings but this year The Richmond Theatre seem to have done just that, with bells on!!
What an absolute delight it was to go to Goldilocks and the Three Bears last night with my two children. We sat on the edge of our seats, eyes on stalks, for just over two hours (don’t panic, it flies by) howling with laughter. A beautifully crafted story loosely based on the original but taken so far into the 21st Century it’s bearly recognisable. The story imagines what might have happened had the Three (adorable) Bears wandered off piste and ended up in a travelling circus.
Possibly more Greatest Showman than Robert Southey had intended we were treated to jaw-dropping juggling acts, nail-biting tightrope walks and mesmerising magic performances with pyrotechnics to match. In some ways you feel as if you’re getting two shows for one as you cut between watching the Bears’ fate unfold to having the best seat in the house in a world class circus tent – there were times when I was so immersed I forgot it was a pantomime at all and thought I was at a live final of Britain’s Got Talent.
This is especially great too if you’ve got children who’s attention can waiver because although they’ve retained the glitz and glamour you’d expect from a traditional Christmas pantomime (fantastic sets, dazzling costumes and amazing musical theatre) there’s also a decent measure of danger, plenty of toilet humour and loads of stuff on fire. What more could you ask for?
The whole production was brilliant. I’m still trying to work out whether last night’s mishaps were genuine or scripted, but they were so cleverly woven into the performance with spontaneity and hilarity the delivery was seamless.
It’s interesting to me that whilst they appear to have stripped out many of the associations of a traditional panto, this still absolutely feels like a pantomime. Through quick costume changes, quality one liners and hearty levels of audience participation this is a high energy show. I only hope they can keep the pace up – the cast, orchestra and crew will have earned themselves a well deserved holiday by January!
Please, if you’re thinking of taking your children to a pantomime this Christmas, take them to this one.
Leave A Reply