Mother Bruce

PANTO CLASSIC

The Tron pays its annual visit to the Pantosphere, a magical dimension of convention-conscious panto characters, where this year Mother Bruce (wife of the long lost King Robert The … ) can’t pay the rent on her council house. Luckily her hygienically-challenged son Bob (finally, a Prince Charming any girl can aspire to) and their Liza-a-like pet spider Spotty are on hand.

While there are plenty of shout-out, sing-a-long moments, the self-referential jokes and now traditional, but increasingly bitchy dismissals of the competition are solidly pitched at the adults, and a lot of the plot seems to go over the heads of the younger audience members. Fortunately, the cast’s commitment to the enthusiastic pursuit of entertainment papers over any cracks. Mark Prendergast’s Bob is a surprisingly magnetic stand-out, particularly during a denim-clad courtroom rock solo. And it’s not every pantomime that can claim one of those as a highlight.