Peter Pan - Nottingham Theatre Royal

As the Christmas period is coming to an end, I thought I'd take one last chance at extending that holiday cheer by going to see one final pantomime.

This year Nottingham have chosen to go with Peter Pan, starring David Hasselhoff, Su Pollard and Barney Harwood. 

I'll be honest, I'm struggling with where to start with this review as the production just left me completely confused. I know the story of Peter Pan, but even so, I struggled to pick up any of the story from the production I went to see. In a nutshell, Peter and Wendy fly off to Neverland without John and Michael, but then they do magically appear later. Tinkerbell sells everyone out to Captain Hook because Wendy has given medicine to the lost boys, then a mermaid catches a crocodile and Peter Pan sword fights Captain Hook. I hope you're as confused as I have been.

The rest of the show is just filled with songs that I didn't recognise (neither did anyone else with the looks of things) and seemed to not really fit with anything, giant sets which is clearly where the budget went rather than on a script, and fabulous costumes for the main actors, whilst the dancers looked like they'd been on a shopping spree to Ann Summers.

David Hasselhoff may have looked the part as Captain Hook but his singing was average and constantly changing words to begin with 'hoff' was not funny the first time, never mind for the proceeding 15 minutes. Otherwise he just kept mentioning boobs which seemed creepy and rather inappropriate.

Su Pollard added a lot of enthusiasm to the show and tackled the songs well, but didn't seem to understand the audience participation too well. When performing in front of mainly children and a lot of young parents, if you shout Hi-de-hi with no context, people are way too young to know what to shout back. Either that or are just too stunned over the previous dance routine where you pushed a dancers head into your crotch.

Barney Harwood is definitely the perfect Peter Pan, not only looking the part but full of boyish charm. It seemed a shame that rather than have lines or songs, the main job for him was to just to fly about the stage on wires and do the occasional backflip. 

The one exciting part of the show was getting to throw foam blocks to defeat the pirates. Unfortunately, they were so large and square that rather than  reaching the stage, they took out the pensioners in the first few rows, with one lady seemingly trying to hide under her own seat.

Overall, I didn't laugh out loud at any of the jokes and the supporting roles seemed bored. Although I probably would too if I had to go through that script twice a day for the month. After that production, Christmas feels completely and utterly dead.

Jack and the Beanstalk Pantomime - Sheffield Lyceum Theatre

It's finally that time of year when vaguely famous faces are on posters across every town in England, playing some fairy tale character or another.

Whilst I am sure that pantomimes are not usually aimed at 21 year olds, I can't help but go and see them to get into the Christmas spirit.

My first pantomime of choice this year was Jack and the Beanstalk at the Lyceum Theatre in Sheffield. 

Jack is played by Ian 'H' Watkins from popular 90's band, Steps, who manages to convey the part of the hero successfully and you can't help but want him to defeat the giant with his friendly enthusiasm and cheerful persona.

His love interest is the Princess Tamara (expect many Tamara/Tomorrow jokes, you have been warned) played by Madeleine Leslay who portrays a princess that every little girl would like to be. Not only does she look the part but she also has a very strong voice, covering 'Titanium' beautifully and with ease.

Andrew Fettes, also known as the villain Dr Hefferflumphenstein succeeds in being suitably evil enough to get the audience to boo and hiss, yet also has a certain amount of charm making you look forward to his next appearance in the show.

Pete Dunwell plays a very stereotypical yet convincing King Eric. Without ruining the surprise, I just have to say I have a lot of respect for playing this part up to 3 times per day, and after seeing the show, i'm sure you'd agree.

Sheffield favourite Damian Williams returns to play the Dame yet again and it is not difficult to see why this is his sixth year in the part. He is an audience favourite and has everyone chuckling throughout the show. Not only is he hilarious, he often improvises in scenes giving a unique performance each time and keep the cast on their toes. Though the less I say about his Miley Cyrus impersonation, the better.

Although Damian seems to be the audience favourite, I have to say mine is the Vegetable Fairy as played by Sarah Earnshaw. Not only is she funny and beautiful, she has the most amazing vocal range which I couldn't help but be mesmerized by. I honestly found myself disappointed that she did not sing more songs during the course of the show. However if I had it my way, the show probably would've been twice as long as I didn't want it to end.

The show itself is one of the best pantomimes I have been to, including songs that all age ranges will know, whether it's 'Best Song Ever' by One Direction, 'One Day More' from Les Miserables or even 'One Way or Another' by Blondie, which all result in a show you can't help but sing along to.

Whilst a lot of the jokes are one's you will have heard before, you can't help but laugh at the delivery, there are a few innuendos hidden in there for the adults, plenty of slapstick for the kids, and the vinyl routine is comedy genius, only made funnier on the occasions something goes wrong.

The costumes and sets are beautifully designed, so much so that I was even distracted from the show itself by the giants lair, made from the remains of planes that have crashed in cloudland. It was visually stunning.

Overall, this is a must-see show that suits all ages and will have you shouting and singing in no time. The cast are all fabulous, including the giant who is an incredible surprise and i'm sure will be unforgettable for the kids.

The show runs until the 5th January 2014.