Written and Directed by Johnny McKnight
Musical Direction & Composition by Ross Brown
Review by Dominic Corr
Be still the aching sides and pass the Botox to fix these face wrinkles following this sort of evening at The Tron Theatre, with a front-row of hopped-up Brownies in the audiences, is enough to crack even the most stringent Scrooges. But out with the incredible dedication of the entire cast of Peter Panto & The Incredible Stinkerbell, who rise to the occasion with gusto, glee, and only a bucketful of corpsing and breaking character, this year’s festive delight already sinks its hook deep into Scotland’s Pantoscape as one of the funniest, and most adept in the land.
The skull and crossbones of J M Barrie’s story remain, somewhat, mainly in the chaotic wake of McKnight’s revival of their 2013 staging of the same show. Peter Pan(to), the lad who refused to grow up, is here with sequin and man-child energy from Star Penders; her tongue-in-cheek attitude and delightfully Dennis the Menace/Bill & Tedrole is enough to have you secretly, or vocally in our case, rooting for Captain Hook. But while J M Barrie’s battle of the old-guard masculinity coming to blows with a new generation of boys was an all-boys club, McKnight square-goes with the long-standing rivalry of Wendy Darling (Darling) and Tinkerbell, dubbed Stinkerbell for reasons which become nauseatingly obvious soon into the show.
For as much as this is an ensemble performance, the impact which McKnight makes in the titular role as Stinkerbell reminds us why they are one of Scotland’s finest dames, able to adapt to any situation while giving the audience the flubs and breaks they so desperately crave, McKnight’s Stinkerbell is a star on stage. But then again, so is everyone else. From Katie Barnett’s continuing excellence in delivery, the vocal range going from humorous to lyrical, and their diction primed for excellent wordplay and puns, they work well with the entire cast as Anita Wee-Wee but best with the sensational Emma Mullen (A History of Paper), or the luvvie and thespian-esque Captain Hook, brought right out of the wine bars of Glasgow’s West End by Robert Jack – who relishes the role, working (and fearing) the crowd.
Backed by the tinkering of keys thanks to musical director Ross Brown, another slice of that nostalgic music-hall variety skirts Stinkerbell as both alternative and traditional panto experience. It has that, and we say it with love, a ‘tacky’ Christmas vibe to the entire affair. In the recent battle of ‘colourful’ eighties/nineties tinsel-covered Christmas versus a more modern ‘white-light’ Christmas, Stinkerbell falls into the former spiritually: warm, colourful, and a bulb or two short of a complete set. But that’s not disparaging Kenny Miller’s design, which uses swathes of colour and in-gags to give this panto that round-the-corner feeling. It combines to enhance that playful vibe, from the Blue Lagoon to the topiary Postcodes.
However, anyone unable to look beyond the surface level of the waves must walk the plank, for the comedy in McKnight’s script is clear, but the class-conscious nature is precise and concise – both in the obvious and the oblivious. From Westend Wendy, heartily played by a dual-role catapulting Emma Mullen, to the frequent jabs at all on the political spectrum, even Nana the dug isn’t safe from McKnight’s pen – though Marc Mackinnon’s cameo appearances rightly earn some of the biggest cheers of the night (keep your eyes peeled for an extra gag on the Tick-Tock Crocodile’s feet). And there isn’t a theatre in the vicinity which is safe. And if anything, if you’re not lampooned in this production, then that itself is the ultimate insult. Save for a gag, reserved for the National Theatre of Scotland (and another for the Citizen’s Theatre), which lands Tron squarely and beautifully on the naughty list. These moments, though, mingle McKnight’s script’s gallus humour with a sharp edge that balances the toilet humour and rounds off the show with a neat and well-crafted ribbon.
There’s an adage about farts; you love your own. And, in a disturbing way, the one which Tron and McKnight let rip this Christmas season is beloved by all: because it is our own, this is everyone’s fart show. Love is plain and simple at the Tron. For the pirates, the goodies, and those who feel unheard or seen, there’s a seat for everyone at Peter Panto & The Incredible Stinkerbell. Well, if there’s any tickets left that is.
There’s A Seat For Everyone
Peter Pan and the Incredible Stinkerbell runs at The Tron Theatre until
Running time – Two hours and fifteen minutes with one interval
Photo credit – Tommy Ga-Ken Wan
Review by Dominic Corr (contact@corrblimey.uk)
Lead editor of Corr Blimey and a freelance critic for Scottish publications, Dominic has written for and contributed to several established and respected publications such as BBC Radio Scotland, The Scotsman, The List, The Skinny, Edinburgh Festival Magazine, The Reviews Hub, In Their Own League, and The Wee Review. As of 2023, he is a member of the Critic’s Award for Theatre Scotland (CATS) and a member of the UK Film Critics.
