Panto exactly as it ought to be at New Theatre Royal Portsmouth

The cruel Covid years were a big frustration to New Theatre Royal Portsmouth’s panto dreams. But my goodness, they’ve taken a massive step forward this year with a gorgeous panto exactly as panto ought to be. What strikes you most is the sheer freshness of it all, pantomime played in the perfect spirit and delivered with energy, skill and timing, expertly directed and given the wittiest of scripts.

If the ultimate ambition is to claim the Pompey Panto crown from the Kings, then this year at least they have certainly done so.

Every character is quality, from Amy Everett’s lovely Sleeping Beauty to Ashley Emerson as the prince charming (well, Valiant in this particular case) who shows that the prince role really doesn’t have to be dull. In his hands it is anything but, and with Everett as his princess-in-waiting they combine beautifully for the night’s highlight, a stunning Million Dreams duet (plus reprise) from the Greatest Showman.

Kevin James as Chester the Jester provides probably the night’s second best moment with his disco set – part of the invention which runs right throughout the show. What do you do in the second half when your Beauty is fast asleep? Easy. You enact her dreams on stage – and chuck in Chester and Michael Neilson as Nurse Nellie for the laughs.

Neilson is excellent too – a very Tommy Cooper dame. Trying to thwart them all is Carli Norris as the perfect panto villain, relishing her every nastiness, delighting in her own ghastliness at every turn. And Edward Baker-Duly is great value as the King. Fab too from Ella Rose Thomas as the trumpet-blowing fairy – terrific fluency with the verse.

Put it all together, throw in energetic dancing and an excellent song selection, and it’s panto at its finest, with all the boxes ticked in respect to the traditions, but a panto which isn’t afraid to think just a little differently and conjure some new delights along the way.

My heart sinks every time the ghost routine comes on, but it was spiritedly done here. The painted backdrops and top-class orchestra do the rest.

This really is a lovely, lovely show.