(seen at the afternoon performance on 14th December 2023)
One of the great American comedian Lenny Bruce’s best routines was to divide the world’s activities into “Jewish” or “goyish” (not Jewish, in his opinion). “Pumpernickel and fruit salad, Jewish. White bread and baton twirling, goyish.” You get the drift.
And so it is with Christmas Pantomime. The clue’s in the name. And yet, in these divided times (and reminding us, as this panto does, that Jesus was Jewish), why shouldn’t London’s Jewish community attempt to bridge the divide and see what might happen when Chanukiah meets Norway Spruce?
The result is two pretty sharp hours of local and faith-based observations, hung on a deftly daft (and exceptionally gassy) plot to power the country ecologically and cheaply forever.
The little pig whose house was made of bricks now owns HAMarillo Mansion (yep, song cue as expected) in HAMpstead Garden Suburb - and pretty much everything else (including the monkey’s notebook and pen), as “Big Pig InPorkerated” charge what they like for energy.
His unique source is the Bubbah (Jewish Grandmother); being the strongest source of energy ever... when eaten by Fluffy – the artiste formerly known as the Big Bad Wolf - now Big Pig’s downtrodden pet wind farm.
In the little town Edge-of-Ware, the Bubbahs are vanishing. Mother Hoodman (Debbie Chazen) is estranged “broigus” (feuding, at odds) with her mother, a lady at risk of being eaten at her cottage in the woods (a line for Julian Clary there).
Brilliant daughter Red Riding Hood (Gemma Barnett), a geeky dreamer with a power-hunting detector wants to solve everything, if she can only “think, think, think” as we remind her frequently.
Nick Cassenbaum keeps the tale tight once past a lukewarm opening number. Comparing usual pantomime conventions, there are fewer gaps allowed for “personality” moments, but his version of “The Haunted Woods” done with just two performers is excellent, and there’s a song sheet sequence so strong that a medium-sized midweek audience responded like the Palladium.
Best of all, Cassenbaum excels at the wordplay and punning, stirring in a very strong Jewish flavour. The “Rat Cab” sketch is as good as anything you will hear in panto anywhere, and if you want an apology... you can guess where that gag goes...
With Josh Middleton there are some excellent comedy songs too, the usual panto parody stuff given piquancy by being closer to its origins than usual in “Don’t Rain On My Parade;” while “We Don’t Talk Any More” about broigus is just fun.
Even on a tight budget, Becky-Dee Trevenen comes up with imaginative outfits. “Kosher Kingdom” plastic bag apron and “Palwin Label” dress to name but two. A simple selection of curtains – a house shaped one at the back putting the band up top behind it is more than sufficient to meet all needs, with the occasional scooter and trolley as required.
The cast of seven never stop working, and reap the rewards. Chazen’s first attempt at Panto Dame is entirely successful – failing to match her daughter with a single man of suitable age (none in the theatre, and yes, she asked the monkey) didn’t throw her early on, and her delivery of “Spin Me Around” parodying Peter Burns “Dead or Alive” was a highlight, “you looking at my noon?” (letter of the Hebrew alphabet).
Gemma Barnett did even better, exhibiting literal “girl power” and making herself strong, lovable and heroic in one. The inventive lassoing of Big Pig will have the monkey looking at lokshen (long kosher noodle like spaghetti) in a whole new way.
As Big Pig, Josh Glanc steals every scene from a “Rehab” tribute to Amy Winehouse via a tureen of soup to a surprisingly happy ending. He knows how to play an audience and does so with glee. Well, if you are given a “Swineantial Times” to read in your opening scene, you are going to love it from then on.
On an equally steep path, Lauren Silver as Fluffy The Big Bad Wolf is a confused mixture of loyalties and emotions in the story, but always has the audience on her side with an endearing connection formed using a shy warmth growing as her path unfolds.
Tiago Fonseca bounces around as Bubbah, a cartwheeling grandma never still and demonstrating why they are the source of all power.
With Tracey Bargate (puppet operator extraordinaire), Yael Elisheva covering all other character duties and Josh Middleton, Maxie Cheer and Anna Lowenstein producing authentic Klezmer as well as pop sounds, the show is as Heimishe (that’s cosy, familiar and welcoming) as can be.
Clearly learning as they go about what works in the studio-like space with an audience full of children who happily point out shortcomings with joy (the power which wins in the end) the result is surprisingly consistent.
Director Abigail Anderson does well to keep it all motoring without dry spells, though a little loosening of the script next year – it doesn’t have to march forward quite so determinedly - may add extra fun. Likewise, this is easily the “cleanest” panto the monkey has seen in years, and a little more edge for the adults may do it no harm.
As the shopping list held (literally) in a ‘stage hand,’ and a monkey chat with the producer after the show suggest, this could be the start of a new tradition (yep, there’s a “Fiddler” reference in the show, can’t not be).
There is an audience out there for something different and aimed at them specifically. When your Dame wears a spectacular lit Chanukiah on her head and the final number is a Jewish Megamix from “Hava Nagila” to traditional Chanukah song “Maoz Tzur” you know you have seen something quite unique. Could Lenny Bruce change his mind and pronounce panto "Jewish" after all? On this evidence, you cannot bet against it.
4 stars.
Photo credit: Jane Hobson. Used by kind permission.