The Aberdeen Arts Centre pantomime never fails to impress.
It’s as sparkly as the festive funfair on Broad Street and as traditional as a Christmas Eve tussle in the gifts aisle at Boots.
With the cost of living as high as it is, every pound counts and families have to think carefully about how they choose to splash their cash.
This is especially true when it comes to entertainment, and in particular pantomimes, when there are several to choose from throughout the region.
That’s why it matters that the Arts Centre panto can be relied upon, year after year, to deliver a top-notch production and masterful performances.
Without fail, it steps up to the mark with a sharp script, gifted cast members, a beautiful set and, that most elusive ingredient of all – a sprinkling of Christmas magic.
The Talegate Theatre company is a tight team, with great chemistry and an almost psychic ability to anticipate each other’s every bat of an eyelash or wave of a wand.
There is a synchronicity that makes for dazzling physical comedy and polished delivery.
Truly, there is never a dull moment in this year’s Dick Whittington, which is billed as a ‘pantomime adventure’.
The costume department certainly went on an adventure of their own when it came to kitting out Dame Sally FitzMackie, played by the incomparable Philip Napier.
This year the wigs are taller, the dresses are louder and the costume changes seem faster and more numerous than ever before.
At one point Philip is dressed as a bottle of champagne, complete with cork and bubbles, in what is nothing short of an architectural triumph.
Panto at Aberdeen Arts Centre almost brings down the house
And that voice! That rich, sonorous voice that reaches all the way to the back row and possibly out into the street and to the Christmas Village.
When Philip sings, some of his notes are so low that it feels like bits of plaster are working their way loose from the walls.
Megan Wright, as Queen Rat, must have the best wicked cackle in the business. She plays the villain with such polish, the temperature seems to drop every time she walks on stage.
The supremely talented Sarah Helena Ord, who plays Fairy Mither Kirk, can be relied upon to bring a great deal of humour to every panto role she plays.
If anyone is in any doubt of the role Doric plays in the north-east’s cultural landscape, they should pop along to this panto and hear how Sarah makes it sound.
Doric rolls out of her mouth like a hay bale in an Aberdeenshire field at harvest time, so gorgeous and evocative it tugs at the heart strings.
The traditional tongue twister is a highlight of the show
Caitlyn Louise Boyd is again an excellent foil for the Dame. Here she plays Tommy the Cat with a quickness and lightness that could fool an actual feline.
She is equally agile and graceful with her dialogue and one of the highlights of the show is the tongue twister.
She and Philip Napier bat the banter back and forth like a couple of cats with a ping pong ball.
Xander Gordon as Dick Whittington and Hannah Buyers as Alice FitzMackie, are strong counterpoints to the more outlandish characters.
Both Xander and Hannah bring warmth and heart to the storyline. They anchor all the shenanigans to an actual plot with characters the audience can care about.
Dick Whittington is at Aberdeen Arts Centre until December 24. For tickets visit www.aberdeenartscentre.com or email info@aberdeenartscentre.com or call 01224 635 208.
Read more: Meet the real people behind our local pantos and shows from Inverness to Stonehaven.
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