Potted Panto, Garrick Theatre - ★★★★★ - Until January 10, 2021


Potted Panto promises to cram the essence of seven very different pantomimes into seventy minutes; this has the advantage that nothing outstays its welcome. The English panto tradition with its cross-dressing and slapstick dates back well over a hundred years, and many of the original gags remain. Hearing children laughing uproariously at jokes which would have been old when their great-grandparents heard them is a delight in itself. There are topical jokes aplenty but nothing is in bad taste and the jibes involving Boris definitely hit the target. Pointing out that the seven dwarfs are exceeding the rule of six and that a glass of mulled wine now has to be served with the obligatory substantial meal had the audience in stitches. It is a brilliant stroke to mash A Christmas Carol with Aladdin, giving us who else but 'Abanazar' Scrooge. The running gag of having just one handsome prince comes off perfectly, whilst Cinderella's ugly sisters are a dream – OK – a nightmare. Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner work superbly together and also interact anarchically with the audience. The 3D sequence brings everyone together; in fact, not one joke fell flat. Congratulations to the performers and their director Richard Hurst. Wow, do they deliver! It is wonderful to welcome live pantomime back to the West End, and you certainly don't have to be a six-year-old to enjoy this wonderfully mad box of delights.

Rated: ★★★★★ 

Reviewed by D.S.J.
Photo by Geraint Lewis.

Want to save on tickets? See our Tips page.

When, Where, Getting there:
Map & Location: 2 Charing Cross Rd, Charing Cross, London WC2H 0HH, UK

Most Popular

The Divine Mrs S ★★★ Hampstead Theatre | Mar 22 - Apr 27, 2024

Image
Sarah Siddons was the most influential actress of her day. She was famed for her portrayal of Lady Macbeth and has been credited with the creation of the modern notion of celebrity. Borrowing an epithet most often associated with Sarah Bernhardt, playwright April De Angelis contrasts how Mrs Siddons is celebrated on stage but is confined by both her gender and her marital status when off. She is patronised by her actor/manager brother and her money is taken by her estranged and philandering husband. In the theatre, Siddons may experience power over her audience, but in real life she is subject to the patriarchal hierarchy of her time. This point is made obviously and repeatedly throughout the play which presents the great tragedienne's life in an almost farcical style. While the show exists in a historical context it is not bound, linguistically or factually, by that reality. The plot and characters recall a Regency comedy. They are representations of types, bearing little relation...
Full Details »

ABBA Voyage ★★★★★ ABBA Arena, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park | Extended Run

Image
When great music from the past meets mind boggling technology from the future, the result is ABBA Voyage . This is a concert like no other. In a purpose built arena designed specifically for the show, massive high resolution LED screens, advanced lighting, and surround sound are used to create a fully immersive ABBA concert experience. Although the group’s last appearance in London was at Wembley Arena in 1979, they return technologically in this extraordinary production. These are not holograms or AI generated performances. This is a meticulously animated concert based on real performances by the band themselves. To achieve this effect, the group came together and re-performed their music using motion capture technology. They partnered with top visual effects experts to digitally recreate their younger selves. While the show includes a live band and backup singers, the Agnetha, Björn, Benny, and Anni-Frid seen on stage appear every bit as real as their original counterparts. One quick...
Full Details »

Summer Exhibition 2026 ★★★★ Royal Academy of Arts | Jun 16 - Aug 23, 2026

Image
The theme of the 258th Summer Exhibition, “Interconnectedness,” makes tracing links between the works on display both a fascinating and at times overwhelming experience. While this year’s works on view appear to contain less overt political commentary and fewer instances of humour than is often typical of such events, both are still present in striking moments. Tim Shaw’s powerful portrayal of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Pin It On Them (Associated Artwork From the Installation: Shut It Piggy) (555) can be juxtaposed with the playful absurdity of Joey Rutherford’s Pickle With a Pearl Earring (1110) , reminding viewers of the range of tones running through the exhibition. Alongside these, there are the usual charming animal representations, including our favourite, the highly realistic cat in Thus Regard Palmerston (793) , as well as the standard attempts to shock and provoke, such as Tracey Emin’s There Is An End To Everything (674) . The collection continues to move between cur...
Full Details »

St. Martin in-the-fields: Lunchtime Concerts ★★★★ FREE

Image
Maybe the best musical value in London. The lunchtime concerts at St. Martin's are always a wonderful way to escape the hustle and bustle that is London and the sensory overload that is Trafalgar Square. This is a beautiful setting with great acoustics, and a church pew hard enough to make sure you don't nod off. Reviewed by J.C.  Our score:    ☆☆☆☆  WHEN, WHERE, GETTING THERE: Mon & Fri: 1 pm - 1:45 pm ( occasionally Tues & Thurs)  St. Martin in-the-fields, Trafalgar Square Nearest tube: Charing Cross https://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org/whats-on
Full Details »

Here Comes J. Edgar! A Comedy Musical ★★★★ King's Head Theatre | Jul 10 - Aug 16, 2026

Image
In 1994, writer Harry Shearer, best known for The Simpsons and This Is Spinal Tap , joined forces with Tom Leopold of Cheers and Seinfeld to create a radio satire about J. Edgar Hoover, the controversial director of the FBI for almost fifty years. Hoover became notorious for allegedly blackmailing successive presidents to secure his position, refusing to investigate organised crime in the United States, and relentlessly cultivating his own public image. Behind the façade of the fearless crime-fighting anti-communist crusader, however, lay a secret life, including a long-term relationship with fellow FBI agent Clyde Tolson and the enduring stories surrounding the famous photograph of Hoover in drag. Hoover was also a gambler associated with various mobsters. This is material ripe for satire, and Shearer and Leopold have the impeccable comic credentials to tackle it. For Here Comes J. Edgar! A Comedy Musical  they are joined by the award-winning composer Peter Matz, whose score pl...
Full Details »

Hit Machine ★★★★★ Soho Theatre | Jul 8 - Aug 15, 2026

Image
Jonathan Caren's Hit Machine lives up to its title. Funny, moving and unexpectedly profound, it delivers both laughs and emotional punch while asking searching questions about family, memory and the price of turning pain into art. The play centres on two brothers bound together by childhood trauma and an enduring love of music, yet divided by the radically different ways they have learned to survive. Wes (Josh Radnor) is a high-powered music executive who has repressed the trauma of his upbringing beneath the polished armour of professional success in an industry famed for its ruthless politics. His younger brother Alex (Noah Galvin), by contrast, wears every wound on the surface. Unable to make peace with the past, he has drifted through life, his talent overshadowed by unresolved grief. When the brothers reunite, old resentments, shared memories and long-buried truths erupt with wit, tenderness and devastating honesty. Caren writes sibling relationships with remarkable precision...
Full Details »

Jesus Christ Superstar ★★★★ The London Palladium | Jun 20 - Sep 5, 2026

Image
Created by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jesus Christ Superstar first appeared as a concept album in 1970 before opening on Broadway in 1971. Since then, it has become one of the world's most enduring rock musicals, with countless stage revivals and a celebrated 1973 film adaptation. Telling the story of the final days of Jesus' life, it explores the complex relationships between Jesus, Judas, and Mary Magdalene. In this latest production, Sam Ryder, who represented the United Kingdom at Eurovision in 2022, takes on the title role. His soaring vocals are undeniably impressive and will delight his many fans, but his acting lacks the same confidence. Ryder appears far more at ease when holding a guitar or singing into a hand microphone than when simply inhabiting the character of Jesus. That reliance on hand-held and standing microphones is one of the production's more baffling choices. Although the cast wears headset microphones throughout, the additional ones repeatedl...
Full Details »

Frida: The Making of an Icon ★★★★ Tate Modern | Jun 25, 2026 - Jan 3, 2027

Image
Frida: The Making of an Icon is as much about the creation of a legend as it is about the work of one of Mexico's most recognisable artists. Divided into eight thematic sections, the exhibition not only traces Frida Kahlo's artistic evolution but also interrogates the almost cult-like status she has acquired in the decades since her death. The opening galleries, "Construction/Self-Construction," establish the exhibition's central premise: Kahlo was engaged in a lifelong process of self-invention. Best known for her extraordinary self-portraits, she repeatedly recast her own image, blurring the boundaries between autobiography, performance and myth. It is precisely because of this process of self-fashioning that the exhibition's film footage of Kahlo becomes one of its highlights, offering a rare glimpse of the woman behind her carefully constructed personae. Having established Kahlo's lifelong project of self-invention, the exhibition next considers how o...
Full Details »

To Kill a Mockingbird ★★★★★ Wyndham’s Theatre | Jun 25 - Sep 12, 2026

Image
Many readers first encountered To Kill a Mockingbird in the classroom, where Harper Lee's novel has long been a staple of English literature courses. Its exploration of racism, morality and the loss of childhood innocence has become familiar territory for generations of students. The story also lives on through Robert Mulligan's celebrated 1962 film adaptation, in which Gregory Peck delivered his Academy Award-winning performance as Atticus Finch. His portrayal of the principled lawyer and widowed father who defends a Black man falsely accused of raping a white woman in 1930s Alabama remains one of cinema's defining performances. That legacy presents a formidable challenge for Aaron Sorkin's stage adaptation, as well as for Richard Coyle in the iconic role of Atticus. Happily, both rise to the occasion. Sorkin's adaptation remains faithful to the moral force of Lee's novel while giving the drama a powerful sense of urgency and theatrical momentum. Rather than f...
Full Details »

HOLE! ★★★ Soho Theatre, London: Jul 17 - Aug 1, 2026 | Underbelly Cowgate, Edinburgh: Aug 5 - Aug 30, 2026

Image
The delightfully absurd premise of HOLE! centres on a bizarre sect of American Christians who believe that, to be saved at the apocalypse, they must wear a butt plug at all times. Against all expectations, they turn out to be right. The "Great Sucking" removes almost everyone else from Earth, leaving only the cult members and, from their perspective, a handful of questionable additional survivors. After an act of decidedly inappropriate behaviour, the prophet's son Luke and his best friend Connor are dispatched on a quest to rid the world of the butt plug wearers whose reasons for sporting the devices appear to be anything but religious. It is all gleefully outrageous fun, but the premise begins to wear thin and the jokes become increasingly predictable. However, Jake Brasch and Nadja Leonhard-Hooper are excellent as the two friends and the show's gallery of eccentric characters. They slip effortlessly between multiple roles while giving each character a distinct per...
Full Details »

The City Life Magazine | Reviews & Ratings