Written by Harrison MacNeill and Leo MacNeill

Review by Dominic Corr

Pumpkins, munchkins, kids, adults, and all – Pantoland has thrown open its doors a trifle earlier than expected, as Harrison MacNeill and Leo MacNeill revive Aunty Disestablishmentarianism and Aunty Biotics for a whip-round tour bringing with them a stream of groan-worthy gags, predictable puns, skits and routines, and a delightful night of some pre-Christmas panto banter which offers a taster of what is likely to be a resounding success for two of Scotland’s emerging comedic double-acts.

Oh, and before we go any further, just remember the golden rule: if you want to enjoy yourself, give in. Shout, cheer, laugh, and throw yourself into the magic of a proper wee Scottish Panto. Or rather, two of them. Strung together as a continuation of one another, A Dame of Two Halves comprises two panto-theme adventures. First, one of the Dames is on the run after a catastrophic collision with King Dom’s bins. Nasty stuff. Now being tracked by the best detective, Aunty Biotics plays double agent for the King and Detective to track down her wayward sister.

Now, if you hadn’t noticed by the enormous lurid pink, lime-green, and lavender castle chuckies, we’re very much in the magical realms of Pantoland. But leave your princesses at the door, and stuff away those silly celebrity cameos, as the real heart of a pantomime dame is in full force in both MacNeills tonight. Reviving their Edinburgh Festival Fringe their success, On the Run: Dame Over!, Harrison and Leo (Them is Brothers) present the show in a new light with this additional act to stretch out the mayhem and build on the previously established characters and capers.

The MacNeill’s are everything audiences could hope for in a Scottish Panto duo – chaotic and charming in equal measure, armed with a song and a gag for any occasion, and facial expressions of rubber with plenty of physical comedy to keep the audience invested. Where one joke may not land as well, the pair throw out another and run with it, the more adult jokes slip in every so often, but if anything, could be ramped up to not take the audience by such surprise.

And while there’s usually no such thing as too much Panto, the two-act structure here struggles in pacing and longevity – momentum dips with the transitions in the second act, and the gags begin to lose steam when overplayed, even with the bouncing and ricocheting energy. It strikes more so in the second act story, a sequel of sorts, which finds the Dames in witness protection – a novel concept with plenty to work with, but we spend a more significant chunk of the tale with our antagonists than we do our Dames – an interesting choice which struggles to land as heartily (even if these rogues are afforded some of the more brutal jokes).

What both pieces miss, though, is some variety; the scatter-gun approach of humour is a tried, tested, and true panto tactic, but A Dame of Two Halves requires some additional flourishes to really soar and stave off the issues. Outside of the more costly ones like additional music, sound design, and lighting, the show could benefit from a more diverse range from the pantomime repertoire: visual gags and props, rhyming couplets, and (can’t believe we’re about to say this) more audience interactions and pre-amble.  

At its core, though, A Dame of Two Halves has legs beneath those frocks: four sturdy ones which have made a solid impact in the journey of a new dynamic dame-ing duo for Scotland. With a revision to the structure and a bit of an infusion of additional components and classical Panto tropes, these Aunties are already on their way to being one of the family – as much a part of our annual celebrations as family fights, hangovers, unwanted gifts, and those wonderful and fond memories.

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