Pantomime season is upon us (oh yes, it is) and there’s a wealth of C-list celebrities making innuendos to crowds of braying children all across London.
However, for those who want a something a little less veiled and a lot more fun, then you certainly couldn’t do worse than head to The Royal Vauxhall Tavern where the story of everyone’s favourite parentless ginger is also nicely parodied with raunchy aplomb.
Combining drag stalwarts Myra Dubois and The Divine Miss Em with performance artists Harry Clayton-Wright and Ginger Johnson, and actor Andrew Truluck, result in a riotous pan-Atlantic romp that’s as sensational as it is shocking. Double-entendres are reduced to single ones, the puns are terrible, and there’s splatterings of adult naughtiness ranging from gay porn, over-sized prosthetic genitalia, and even a slab of raw meat.
Yet amazingly, despite the x-rated fun to be had, at its heart is a really decent panto. All the expected audience participation skits are there, and the songs, from Abba, to Howard Goodall, to seasonal staples, are well-picked and performed excellently from the entire cast, with some nice little choreography, too. In fact, if you took out the overtly adult humour, you’d still be left with an incredibly solid panto.
There are, however, just a few jokes that push the boundaries of sensibilities and good taste too far, even for an adult panto. As these are clearly done in an attempt of good humour, they don’t overly offend, but don’t quite make for excellent comedy. Thankfully, the rest of the show is uproarious and often hilarious, including a rendition of ‘Heads, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes’ like you’ve never sung before.
Out-rightly one of the dirtiest and funniest pantos to launch the season, and is worth seeing just for Harry Clayton-Wright’s furry leotard alone!
• RVT, 372 Kennington Lane, Vauxhall, SE11 5HY
• 4th, 5th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 18th, 19th, 27th, 30th December, 8pm.
• £12 or £25 show + meal. www.rvt.org.uk
