So the Christmas revelry is over and its
time to get serious I guess. (Oh no it isn't, oh yes it is) But not
before a bit of seasonal silliness with the Didsbury Players with their
Original ( and quite unique!) pantomime The Prince
and the Porpoise.
Written by one of their merry band of players, Jon Martin, the panto is the tale of
evil ( and very orange) Businessman Donald Trout's plans to make
Pantoland great again by tearing down the woods where Jane and Mal live
with their evil Stepmother Mother May, who one suspects may have been
having a special relationship with the tangoed
terror. As well as getting a helping (tiny) hand from May, Trout has
bewitched the people of Pantoland turning them into his Zombie Porpoise Army. Only Prince Dashing,
and love of course, can save the day!
With more marine based puns, than you can
shake a fish stick at, some very groanable ( in a good way) one liners,
clever modern references ( including some very topical references, one
particular line of Trump's ( ooops sorry
Trout's) having been inspired by the previous day's news) , lots of
singing, dancing and general silliness this was a fun and at times
surreal way to spend an evening.
The players were clearly having a great and
it was infectious. They made the most of having some great singers in
the cast, showcasing their talents in some lively numbers with fun choreography.
There were plenty of laughs and lots of the traditional panto
shenanigans were present, allowing plenty of opportunity for boos,
cheers, oh no's, and trumpet fanfares from the audience.
Jonathan Robertson as Trout somewhat
stole the show with his excellent and very funny performance. Memorable
though he was, my abiding memory of the show has be the Zombie Porpoise
dance troupe. Let's face it, you haven't lived
until you have seen a singing Porpoise leading a Porpoise Army in a
full on Abba routine. Or our marine friends dancing to Donald singing
Michael Jackson's hit Bad. Quite surreal but totally hilarious.
#hakenews this isn't. This panto was a shoal lot of fun and left me giddy as a kipper.
