The magic of panto: Robin Hood at the Birmingham Hippodrome 'five stars!' - review
In the words of Noddy Holder, It’s Christmas! And that can only mean one thing, one of the biggest and the best pantomimes in the country opens, right here in the heart of the Midlands at the Birmingham Hippodrome.
This year it’s Robin Hood, with a star studded cast lead by the incomparable Matt Slack, who returns for his 12th annual appearance to the second city venue, this time in the title role.
As always, the Birmingham Hippodrome offers panto on a huge scale and is the epitome of family festive fun, oozing comedy gold, stunning special effects, unbelievable magical moments as well as plenty of opportunities for audience participation.
The show is topical, relevant, inclusive and has a naughty, cheeky feel to it to keep the adults amused, moving slightly away from the very essence of traditional panto seen in other regional offerings in the area.
This panto is a visual extravaganza. The special effects, (watch out for the wolf kids!) will shock and amaze. The scenery, props and costumes, straight from the London Palladium, are simply outstanding, as are the lighting plot and sound. Believe me, this is panto on a whole new level.
Matt Slack retains his crown as the king of panto comedians. In fact I laughed so much I ached. His quick fire gags don’t give you time enough to recover from laughing before he is on to the next one. His appeal, personality and charisma are second to none; the man is a star!
Fashionista and all round nice guy, Gok Wan is charming as Robin Hood’s side kick, “Gok Scarlet”, and the comedic chemistry between Matt and Gok is tangible, so much so that they must be off stage pals too. Their ad libs are worth the price of a ticket alone!
