Review

Dick Whittington: Manchester Opera House

ARGUABLY the most talked about 'panto' since Jim Davidson's Sinderella and after hitting the headlines for not necessarily the right reasons, it was with some trepidation that I took my nine and seven-year-olds along to Manchester's Opera House to see Dick Whittington.

Described in certain circles as lewd, crude and crossing the line of acceptable humour for a family show, Torchwood star John Barrowman and Crackerjack duo The Krankies (real life husband and wife Ian and Janette Tough who turned 70 this year) have teamed up - not for the first time - for the tale of poor man Dick, who travels to London with his faithful feline friend to find his fortune.

Yes it does take innuendo to another level, yes it is camper than Christmas and yes Captain Jack's pants really are that tight, and if I'm a bad mom then so be it...but I loved it, and so did my children.

From the moment the curtain rises it is two hours of non-stop laugh out loud moments, bursting with West End show-quality numbers and the most impressive special effects I have ever seen at a pantomime.

From a Rudolph-drawn sleigh hovering over the audience to 3D underwater scenes that had everyone shouting out in delight, the staging and pyrotechnics are hugely impressive.

Phil Corbitt plays a convincing King Rat, while Jacqueline Hughes sparkles as the Spirit of Bow Bells, but it is the Glaswegians that take centre stage.

I last saw John Barrowman in Sunset Boulevard in the West End 20-odd years ago but he remains as effortlessly comfortable in this environment, the audience pretty much eating out of his hand even while being soaked with water guns.

The camaraderie between him and The Krankies is obviously genuine, and at times it's virtually impossible to tell which is the script or ad libbed.

It wasn't until I left the theatre I realised there was no 'he's behind you' or 'oh yes he is' moments, but did it matter? Probably not, the children didn't seem to notice and there was enough audience participation to keep them entertained throughout, particularly during an ocean-themed version of The 12 Days of Christmas.

Did they leave the theatre talking about certain parts of a male anatomy or questioning the risqué double entendres and alleged 'sexualising' of cast members? Of course not, to the pure all things are pure, as they say. The 'He's Always Pickin' On Me' song, however, I fully expect to hear repeated for some time to come.

In the words of my nine-year-old, 'it was awesome'. In my words, it was Fan-Dabi-Dozie.