Showing @ Tron Theatre, Glasgow, until Sat 31 Dec

If only magic could get rid of a big arse (as I know from experience). It’s willpower, determination and nae sweeties that does it. While some might spend post-Christmas trimming down, Mister Merlin (Jimmy Chisholm) has a much bigger problem: The Great Bahooky (Keith Fleming) – a verbose villain, camper than Christmas who’s harder to catch than a baddie on Taggart. Threatened by Merlin’s pure magic wand, Bahooky steals it and it’s left to dynamic duo Penny and Peter (Sally Reid and Finn Den Hertog) to save the day.

A re-write of Peter and Penny’s Panto, Alex Norton’s script is – as every great Glaswegian panto should be – full of top-notch slapstick, magic and terr-eeble French accents. But Andy Arnold’s show belongs to Bahooky’s right-cheek man, Bumble (Robbie Jack) and the Govan Fairy (Angela Darcy) whose rhyming couplets and rootin’ tootin’ tunes work a treat and show off a script that is as intelligent as it is funny. While the panto sticks to many traditional elements (oh yes it does), what is striking and savvy about it is the lack of Dame – and the fact that you wouldn’t notice; the show is fluid and funny enough without her. Who needs a Great Dame when you’ve got a Great Bahooky chatting up his sidekick dressed in PVC French-maid attire? All that glitters here is pure gold.

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