Octagon Theatre. Runs until January 13 AND now for something completely different. When the first windows of the advent calendars are ripped open it usually means only one thing in panto.
But the Octagon has plumped instead for director Lee Beagley's energetic interpretation of Edward Lear's nonsense rhyme. If the glowing reaction of the audience was anything to go by, the decision was well and truly vindicated.
While most pantomimes have become a tired retreading of the same old jokes (oh yes they have), The Owl and The Pussycat was full of life and invention.
From the tropical island set to the hilarious puppet Jumblies, it was a production you would have had to be Scrooge to find fault with. The Turkey costume was so impressive that it won a spontaneous round of applause.
Granted, at first it seemed the adults in the audience were lapping up the zany humour more than the children. It was not long, though, before they too were firmly on the same wavelength.
What little plot there is centres on the efforts of the Owl (Robert Pickavance) and Pussycat (Diane Gallacher) to find a vicar to marry them while evading being eaten by the dastardly Plum Pudding Flea (Harry Smith).
Smith, making her professional debut, was great value whether descending on a rope from the rafters or threatening to eat watching parents. Outstanding too was Eugene Salleh as the Quangle Wangle, sporting a huge comedy hat, a Latin American accent and an acrobatic range of jumps and handstands.
Singling out anyone, though, is hugely unfair. The Owl and The Pussycat is silly, funny and as the Quangle Wangle would say "absolutely galloobrious". Roger Williams
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