Review by Paul Towers, 15/3/23
Mother Goose by Jonathan Harvey
Directed by Cal McCrystal
Produced by Ambassador Theatre Group and others
At Curve til Sunday 19th March 2023
“a hoot of a show”
Pantomime always used to run til April and Mother Goose, by touring, is hoping to revive the tradition. And if this production is anything to go by it will become an annual event once again.
Just looking at the cast and creatives behind this production, dare I say it, you just can’t go wrong. A script by the comedy genius that is Jonathan Harvey (Coronation Street, Beautiful Thing etc etc), a cast that is headed by Sir Ian McKellen and John Bishop and a live band makes this an hilariously full blooded show.
Harvey has crafted a suitably funny show packed with gags and topical material. Slotted into the action, like all traditional pantomimes, are songs that range from Lady Gaga to 42nd Street.
The story, such as it is, follows Mother Goose (Ian McKellen), her husband Vic (John Bishop) and their son Jack (Oscar Conlon-Morrey) as they try and avoid shutting down their animal sanctuary (cue an excuse for the ensemble to be dressed as animals). The latest rescued bird is Cilla Goose (Anna-Jane Casey) who turns out to be menopausal but manages to pop out the last of her gold eggs to save the sanctuary.
To provide the audience with reason to hiss and boo there are two fairies Encanta (Sharon Ballard) and Malignia (Karen Mavundukure), one good one evil.
Costumes for both Mother Goose and all the animals, as well as the sets, were designed by Liz Ascroft. Christopher Barlow had great fun designing and making some incredibly lifelike animal puppets to supplement the ensemble.
Unfortunately there are very few tickets left for the rest of the week at Curve. But If you can get one, grab it. This is a hoot of a show with plenty for both children and adults
https://mothergooseshow.co.uk/
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