Review: Mother Goose, Colchester
Pantomimes should be fun, entertaining and full of joyous escapism for audiences young and old. For a couple of hours each Christmas, we get to step away from the mundane and into a magical world of fairytales—and no theatre does that better than the Mercury in Colchester.
This year, the Mercury turns its hand to Mother Goose, a lesser-told panto story, but in the hands of this exceptional creative team it becomes yet another truly award-worthy spectacle. Panto has always revelled in larger-than-life costumes and scenery, but as Antony Stuart-Hicks and Dale Superville—Mercury stalwarts—celebrate their 10th year working together in Mercury-pantoland, the production team have gone above and beyond. The sets and costumes explode with colour; it’s as if they’ve been waiting all year to show us what colour was invented for.
At the heart of the show is Billy the Goose (Dale Superville), who lives with his adoptive mum Gertie Goose (Antony Stuart-Hicks) in a circus. Times get tough when the wonderfully wicked Baroness Bellinora Badapple (Jamie Pruden) raises the rents and does her very best to ruin the lives of the circus folk—cue plenty of opportunities to boo and hiss! Balancing the villainy is the ever-radiant Fairy Fortuna (Sasha Latoya, returning for her third year), supported by a strong and spirited ensemble cast.
What makes this Mother Goose so special is the way it grabs the audience from the very first moment and never lets go. From the second the lights go down, you’re swept into a story that’s fun, magical and heart-warming. Like a great book, you simply don’t want it to end. The Mercury team have crafted a world so enchanting that leaving it feels like waking from a wonderful dream.
Stuart-Hicks and Superville’s decade of on-stage partnership is the glittering jewel in this production. Their chemistry is electric; their comic timing is nothing short of genius, their interaction with the audience likewise makes you feel part of the fun. This year’s panto feels like a celebration of everything the pair have brought to Colchester pantomime over the past ten years—and the audience is all the richer for it.
But this is far from a two-person show. The entire cast is first-class, delivering standout vocal performances, gasp-worthy magical moments and scene after scene of pure festive delight. You’ll leave the theatre with aching sides from laughing, a warm fuzzy glow, and your Christmas spirit fully awakened.
Quite simply: this may well be the best panto in East Anglia. A triumph for the Mercury Theatre and a gift to audiences this festive season.
Mother Goose is at The Mercury, Colchester until Sunday 18th January. Book tickets HERE»
• Review: Mark Keable, Ipswich24 Magazine.
• Photos: Pamela Raith