It’s that time of year, the days are darker, the coffee cups have changed colour, gloves are finally sheathed on hands, and the Footlights Pantomime rears its happy little head once more. Brimming with cheek and cheer this year’s offering sees characters from many a tale, stereotype, country and genre congregating in the fantastical land of Lidingo along with a scrat-like squirrel to take us on a journey to uncover a lost princess, who may not have a pea after all. As the curtains open we encounter Paul Adeyefa, who steals the stage as the not-so-hench hench-man, surviving on a diet of mind-controlling gooseberry soufflés he stutters and grumbles through speech with hysterically endearing delivery.

The entire cast shine, not only in their conviction and incredible expressions but through their versatility: switching with ease from angered Lidingo residents to mannerly Vikings. Hugh Stubbins as the ‘once-actor’ candlestick maker is a hit, Saul Boyer and Sarah Livingstone in their interrogation scene are a double act to be reckoned with; Luke Sumner’s captured Viking produces an accent that remains as fantastical as the cast’s physicality on stage, as they transport us from one scene to the next. Pete Teverson's score is a triumph, with seriously ambitious musical sequences performed with energy and pizzazz.

For Ben Pope’s simpering Prince Sebastian and Maria Pawlikowska’s lost laundry girl Lenor it’s love at first crossword; a love that defies class boundaries,  uniting lovers of words, food and logic even through a closed door. The tyrannical rule of ‘Delicious and Malicious’ cooking from a shining Emma Powell as the evil queen with green glitz galore disintegrates under full-fledged rebellion with the help of Henry Jenkinson’s trusty Dame Barbra Zier (hoho) and Rosa Robson’s lovable Buttons, facilitating the path to culinary freedom and fulfilled love.

And this is no ordinary ADC-staged path; serious praise needs to be given to set designers Devalle and Calderon, for producing an aesthetic dream in which to set these scenes. From intricately hung sheets of washing to Tim-Burton-esque spires, fairytale skylines and enchanted forests their team dressed the stage to impress. The simultaneously minimal and intricate designs used silhouette and colour ingeniously, the construction lending itself to professionally seamless changes, where sets would unfurl to reveal another, delicately peeling back layers as we delved into the story. The attention to detail was staggering, hand holes allowed kitchen props to come to life with subtle animation, portraits adorning the throne-room walls were an art historian’s dream.  

The one star lost from this performance is simply for the moments we didn’t catch it! It was incredibly frustrating when half the words couldn’t be heard. Rushed delivery, lack of enunciation or just a need for projection were all hindrances that can be excused but were nonetheless annoying. Other times the magic of live music simply swallowed up the songs, although Robson’s incredible performance of ‘Fake it or Make it’ proved it is possible to shine even when competing with an orchestra. Minor faults that should dissolve with practice, this performance will make even the hardest of hearts crack a smile, a very ap-PEA-ling night out in these last cold days. 

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