The Scouse Christmas Carol at Royal Court Liverpool Review

Reviews

14 Nov

Written by Roby for Theatre & Tonic

Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review

The Royal Court’s annual pantomimes are a Scouse tradition, and this year’s offering of “The Scouse Christmas Carol” is nothing short of hilarious. It’s impossible to be a Scrooge whilst watching it!

Kevin Fearon’s writing is superb, spinning Dickens’ classic on its head. In this pantomime version, Barbra and Freddie Marley find out they have not inherited Jacob Marley’s business, ‘Jacob’s Biscuits’, after he mysteriously disappeared. Instead, Scrooge has, and so the Garston Ghostbusters seek to find out what has really happened by haunting the answer out of Scrooge.

From start to finish, the show is unapologetically scouse, with genius references to scouse culture for young and old audience members (although not too young, as this panto’s content is certainly for adults). The constant use of foul language and innuendo is extremely typical of a scouse panto, leaving little time for the audience to breathe in between continuous laughter. The show also has the typical elements of a pantomime: rhyming couplets, endless puns, slapstick humour, sound effects and audience interaction. Whilst most of these work, sometimes some of the elements feel a little forced due to the adult-only audience. I also wish there was more interaction between Barbara (Lindzi Germain) and the audience. As the typical ‘Grand Dame’ character, it is often expected that there will be lots of flirting with one unlucky, embarrassed member of the audience, yet there isn’t any of this. It’s not necessarily needed, but it’s a typical element of a panto that I was sad was missed.

The show started a tad slow, but quickly picked up pace and crescendoed perfectly. The show just kept getting better, and didn’t dip in energy or performance at all. There were some great song choices - ‘Thriller’, ‘It’s My Life’ and ‘The House of Bamboo’ just to name a few. One thing that is particularly strong about this cast, who are all oozing with talent, is that they can all sing incredibly well. A particularly strong vocal performance is Lindzi Germain’s show-stealing rendition of ‘When We Were Young’ by Adele. Germain’s performance as Barbara as a whole is just sublime, and hats off to the incredible Ellie Light, who has produced some incredible costumes for her to wear. A particular favourite of mine was the light up Christmas tree, accompanied by a tinsel, star-shaped headpiece. Just brilliant!

Another strong performer is Keddy Sutton, who possesses great acting ability. Sutton tackles five different roles throughout the show: the Town Crier, the Housekeeper, Mayor Joe Anderson, the Judge… Sutton’s range really is marvellous and she is a standout in every scene she is in. Just when you think she can’t get any better or any more diverse, she appears at the end as Pat the Butcher from EastEnders riding a massive turkey. It’s this genius level of bonkers that makes the Royal Court panto so charming.

And of course, it must be mentioned that Paul Duckworth is an excellent Scrooge. He plays the character brilliantly; a particular highlight for me was his performance of “I’m Too Sexy For My Shirt” at the start of the first half. It was just hilarious!

Ellie Light has not just designed the costumes, but the set too, and it is incredible. The Royal Court stage uses a revolve to smoothly transition between four different settings. I loved when the revolve got “stuck” and the stage crew came on to help push it (of course, to Salt’n’Peppa’s “Push It”) - it was just a really funny moment. The live band are incorporated well into the set and are given great opportunity to shine. The 4-man band is incredibly strong and they do not stop all night, underscoring every scene and playing banger after banger with ease.

Beverly Norris-Edmund’s movement direction is good, challenging the cast just the right amount. Although at times it is not executed brilliantly, you can tell the cast are always having fun performing it. Adam McCoy particularly shines during the dance sequences, but is an all round brilliant performer who you can’t take your eyes off of.

Overall, ‘The Scouse Christmas Carol’ is a must-see for adults this Christmas. It’s joyful, hilarious and sure to leave you in the festive mood. It wasn’t just “sound lad”, it was “boss la”!