A guide to modern panto
Published in The List 3 November 2023 If the culture wars were an actual thing rather than the delusions of some Tory sociopaths, where would pantomime be in the battle?…
Jordan Young on Snow White
The Scotsman 8 December 2022 Edinburgh panto lovers have needed patience this year. While the King’s is being refurbished, the annual mirth-fest led by Allan Stewart, Grant Stott and Jordan…
Beauty and the Beast
The Guardian 5 December 2022 It is tempting to grumble about the supposed spontaneity of this ebullient mainstage panto. Kathryn Rooney’s production is so finely tuned that everything – from…
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Guardian 27 November 2022 Holywood repeats itself, first as musical, second as panto. If you have never imagined Dorothy in drag, well, you have never reckoned on Johnny McKnight,…
Jack and the Beanstalk
The Guardian 27 November 2022 The temperature is rising in Middle Perth. Nobody says it in so many words but the opening salvo of songs tells you all you need…
Goldilocks Goes to Greece
The Guardian 6 July 2022 If you must insist on a summer panto, then Greece is as good a destination as any. It also works for alliteration. And that is…
Sleeping Beauty
The Guardian 5 December 2021 After what happened this year, you could have forgiven the team behind the King’s panto if they had had a wobble. The death of Andy…
Cinderella
The Guardian, 28 November 2021 The modern adapter of Cinderella is faced with two questions. How to give agency to a central character who is subject not only to the…