(4 / 5)

In my opinion it is always incredible difficult opening a show as you have to not only establish the standard the audience can expect from everyone else, but you also need to force the audience to get excited despite what may have happened before they set foot in the Fortuna Spiegeltent tent.

I know that I would be incredibly stressed If I was in the MC’S shoes, but Velma Celli seemed to excel in this intense position. There was not a single drop in energy or excitement as the host kept the audience hyped throughout and even dealt with delays flawlessly. They helped to introduce each act, mask the getting ready periods and even treated us to a few performances throughout! In fact, the whole show was opened by Velma who delivered a vocally incredible rendition of Black and Gold. What I thoroughly enjoyed about this number is the fact that as the number went on each of the acts graced the stage as a subtle introduction to each of the performances and a tease of what to expect from the evening. Velma had people in the audience in stitches throughout the evening whether it was picking on “Santa” sat in the front row or serenading a random audience member (who took it all in high spirits) with an array of crudely parodied Christmas carols!

Later in the evening the incredible duo of Paul and Louise graced the stage to showcase their balance-based skills. What I personally found incredible about this performance in particular was the fact that both of duo were showcasing their skills as often times it appears that the male partner is them simply as a strong foundation for the female to dance/contort around. One of the highlight moments of this performances saw Paul lay on his back while Louise placed her feet near her partners neck and learn forward. She went so far forward that she was a mere few inches from face planting for the floor while her partner leveraged his body to support her ever step on the way which was incredible to watch. The entire performance was full of flips and tricks throughout with these two talented performances clearly have a great chemistry both on and off stage! This pair returned in the second act to showcase an incredible roller-skating-based set. At one point in the routine, the pair circled each other only for Louise to hook her feet around her partners neck as they both continued to spin around. This trick was cleverly repeated multiple times with each iteration different enough to not bore the audience, but it was the final version that truly wowed the crowd! They had donned a rope hoop style contraption which connect the two performers simply by their necks and the cyclone of dance happened one last time, but this time Louise not only span in a horizontal circle but also twisted through the air in an almost impressive pencil twists the entire time! I thought it was very clever for the curators of this routine to repeat the same trick but adapt it slightly each time as it gave structure to the performance yet prevented the audience from being bored by seeing a similar trick!

One of my favourite performers of the evening was the amazing Miss Betsy Rose who treated the audience to a bit of burlesque. Now I am only a recent convert to the art form (having seen my first two burlesque shows just last week) but I do think it does not get the reputation it deserves. This style of dance is not simply about removing your clothes as quickly as you can but the sensual art of teasing the audience, which Betsy has down to a fine art! In classic burlesque style they showcased the most wonderful and over-the-top facial expressions and punctuation on almost every beat with a powerful movement which created a very cohesive and mesmerising performance. This performer was actually one of the first people we saw during the opening ensemble track as she dazzled the audience by dancing on the stage before Velma joined her to sing the song. The way her entire body was perfectly synced to the music not only built up the excitement but also made for a fantastic thing to experience! One of the things I was particularly fascinated is how the feather fans were utilised in such a way to almost give them a life-like breath but also used to frame part of the body which the audience went wild for. Every single person in the venue was transfixed by Betsy Rose with her gorgeous and energetic movements and every time an item of clothing was teased the audience went wild!

I have to be honest and say that fire spinning is never been an art form that I have found particularly fascinating, until I saw the incredible Penny Valent who graced the stage with a stunning headpiece that was set on fire which helped to introduce the main theme of their performance. The set began with the traditional fire batons which was frightening enough on their own but when bigger tools were introduced, we all know that something insane was about to happen! What I did not expect however was the unusual fusion of a sparkling light show and fire twirling! These bigger batons were short of sparks throughout, but the highlight came where she began wasting them with caused streaks of flames to cut through the air which was met with gasps each and every time! I was sat a few rows from the front but every time she motioned with these bigger sticks and intense waft of heat ran through me so I can only image how hot it would have been for the performer on stage! This was not the end however as the performer purposefully set fire to the stage itself causing a wall of fire to act as a backdrop to the performance!

My favourite performance of the evening, however, would have to be Little Finch who delivered a unique act of both simultaneously balancing of a hanging net. I must admit that my first thought as the two very attractive performers graced the stage was that it reminded me of a Jean Paul Gaultier advert. The act started as a wonderfully camp and fun number as two male sailors fell in love and shared a kiss (which the audience cheered immensely for) and then began to dangle from the ceiling on a net. Now I have seen numerous aerial routines but what I have never seen is two people performing the gravity defying skill at the same time! They carefully balanced themselves on one another while their partner was carefully balanced in the net which looked intensely dangerous but was met every time with roars from the audience!  We had Jonathan Finch earlier in the evening when they gave a wonderfully fun hand balancing performance on top of a series of boxes. While upside down this performer decided to proceed to remove their stockings with their feet which I cannot even comprehend how you to even begin to think about doing this never mind performing it in front of a live audience! Yet again this performance was giving face throughout the whole performance which add a wonderful sense of comedy to this very dangerous art form!

Overall, this year’s iteration of Castellana leant much more into a cabaret/variety show style format with the omission of last year’s hard to follow storyline picked up and dropped throughout the show! There was an eccentric mix of burlesque, live singing, hoop routines, aerial acts, fire spinning etc. which made for a very exciting show as you never knew what to expect next! There were a few mistakes throughout the evening such as stumbling, missed cues and tricks going wrong but I for one would never be able to do even a quarter of what some of the performers did on this evening! This performance is clearly intended for a more mature audience as there was swearing, sexual references and mature acts throughout the show but equally it was one’s sexy way to welcome the festive season! I would rate this production four out of five stars! If you want to get yourself some tickets for this event in Sophia Gardens then you can purchase tickets here.

Celia Cruwys-Finnigan as Muddles, Phylip Harries as Nurse Nellie and Dan Bottomley as King Dom in Sleeping Beauty at Theatr Clwyd. Picture by Andrew AB Photography

(4 / 5)

Theatr Clwyd is currently undergoing lots of exciting changes including the refurbishment of the Anthony Hopkins theatre in which their annual rock ‘n’ roll panto usually takes place. Therefore, this year sees its transition to the Big Top. Seating over 900 audience members on three sides of the stage, this circus style performance arena is certainly a break from the norm. And maybe it’s the change from what has always worked that left this year’s production missing a little je ne sais quoi. Although magical in other ways; the in-the-round style of theatre, the magnificent costumes (just when you think Phylip Harries’ dame can’t get anymore whacky!) and a rip-roaring rendition of the Twelve Days of Christmas complete with oversized props and plenty of audience participation- the production just gets a bit lost on this huge stage. The small cast are constantly present, unless darting off for a quick costume change, and they frequently come out of character and point fun at the fact that it takes them a long time to get from one side of the stage to the other!

On entering the auditorium, we are greeted with an open stage: giant web-like dreamcatchers hang from each side and a huge, sparkly spider (Olwen, voiced by Sian Gibson) hovers in the corner. As the show begins, she speaks, and it seems that she will be the narrator throughout. However, Olwen the spider is then only alluded to on a couple of occasions. Nevertheless, the concept of spiders and webs seems to be present throughout, Dame Nurse Nellie even fashioning an impressive costume of silky spider webs in the finale and yet there is no ‘through’ story regarding spiders and no version of the classic tale that I can remember, involving a spider. This concept just doesn’t seem to come into fruition.

Chris Patterson’s writing offers the usual ‘oh no he isn’t’, ‘oh, yes, he is’ type interactions as well as plenty of boos, hisses and an audience soaking! The most memorable gag, well deserving of a mention, happens when Nurse Nellie chooses her favourite male ‘victim’ from the audience, sits him down on a cinema chair with a box of popcorn and reminisces about their first date- using film titles as (rather naughty) puns! A lot of the jokes this year push the boundaries between child friendly and adult humour which works well (phew!). However, it feels that there is a lot of unnecessary toilet humour this time around. I’ve been known to enjoy a good old ‘fart’ gag now and again but more than a couple and they start to lose their droll. Always refreshing is the use of the Welsh language, heard plentifully throughout the production as the plot is brought to Mold Castle with mentions of Rhyl, Abergele and other local areas and landmarks, allowing the audience to feel more engaged with the action.

This production includes a stellar cast with fantastic vocals, super talented musicianship and a varied repertoire of songs including Destiny’s Child’s Bootylicious sung wonderfully by the three fairies(with cleverly altered lyrics- ‘I don’t think you’re ready for this fairy!), a beautiful rendition of Coldplay’s Fix You accompanied by the audience swaying their phone lights in the air and Ben Locke’s accomplished version of Kate Bush’s Babooshka (in fact, Kate Bush features again later on- thank you Stranger Things!).

It’s difficult to single out any cast member as all are truly fantastic in their own right. However, standouts for me are returning cast member Dan Bottomley as King Dom who brings just the right about of comedy and sentiment to Beauty’s father, and Alice McKenna as Fang who is often a standout for me each year and whose vocals truly raise the roof. Special mention, as always, must go to Phylip Harries’- in his 20^th year in panto at Theatr Clwyd he certainly doesn’t disappoint- it’s difficult to imagine this Christmas tradition without him!

Despite the move to the Big Top, Theatr Clwyd’s rock ‘n’ roll panto still packs a punch and I’m always in awe of its triple threat performances and unique take on the classic fairytale. Oh yes, I am!

Theatr Clwyd, Mold

December 8^th, 2023- January 6^th, 2024

Writer: Chris Patterson

Directors: Francesca Goodridge and Daniel Lloyd

Assistant Director: Juliette Manon

Casting Director: Kay Magson CDG

Set and Costume Design: Adrian Gee

Musical Director: Tayo Akinbode

Choreographer: Annie-Lunnette Deakin-Foster

Lighting Designer: Johanna Town

Sound Designer: Matthew Williams

Fight Director: Kaitlin Howard

Company Stage Manager: Cassey Driver

Deputy Stage Manager: Edward Salt

Assistant Stage Manager: Emma Hardwick

Technical Assistant Stage Manager: Jay Kemble

Cast includes: Dan Bottomley, Celia Cruwys-Finnigan, Theo Diedrick, Phylip Harries, Emma Kinney, Ai Kumar, Caitlin Lavagna, Ben Locke, Alice McKenna, Georgina White

Santa’s Wish- A Wonderful Adventure for the Family

When I see a show, I always try to pick my favourite audience member. Someone who is completely engaged with the show, believes everything they are seeing and having the best time. At Santa’s Wish at the Spigeltent there were a lot of audience members to choose from who fit this bill! My winner was a tutu wearing, headbanging small folk who got a high five from Santa- I can only imagine the challenge her parents had of taking her out of the wonderful venue!

Indeed, the reactions from the audience were a beautiful example of what happens when an engaging, entertaining and festive show ticks the right boxes. The beautiful setting allowed a lovely intimacy between actors and audience, something often impossible in Cardiff’s much bigger venues.

The impressive ensemble show saw 5 talented performers getting to show off their skills and clearly have fun on stage. Alex Roberts’ cheeky humour and ability to draw the audience in grabbed everyone’s attention right from the start. Briana Paine’s impressive vocals carried the story of being kind to each other- along with some impressive moves. Often when an acrobat is part of a play they can seem tacked on or a one trick pony, but this was not the case with Briana Paine– instead they were an integral part of every scene, with some extra aerial magic sprinkle through. Dyfrig Morris’ dulcet tones and gravitas created a very believable Santa, and Millie Davies shone as Snowflake the Elf- in an outfit I was definitely jealous of.

The whole production was a highly polished affair, tricky in an unusual space and with the amount of props needed coming from different directions- despite a slight malfunction with the magical jam jar, but this was smoothly recovered by the cast. You don’t go to family shows for the plot, and this was the show’s weaker area, but there were plenty of messages to take away to consider for the meaning of Christmas.

Santa’s Wish is on until December 24^th and is a treat for all ages. Tickets range from £15-£29.50 which is quite an investment for a family, but sadly this is in line with most prices across the city for a festive treat. Go along to enjoy some original music, impressive acrobatics and the chance to receive a high five from Santa!