Reviewer: Christine Stanton
Writer & Lyricist: Geoff Aymer
Director: Suzann McLean
“Strong Roots & Creative Twists”
3.5 / 5
Rapunzel is a classic choice for a pantomime show – but Theatre Peckham’s offering is knot just a simple re-telling of a standard fairytale, but instead is a story with creative twists, strong roots and fun songs woven through, helping it to make the cut as a great Christmassy production.
Barnet Magic – a Peckham hair salon is at the heart of the story. Fabulous hairdresser and local favourite Rapunzel spends her days beautifying her customers with her impressive hair skills and warm personality. Although she’s now thriving, her upbringing was unconventional – snatched away from her family as a baby as part of a kidnapping ransom plot, she was forced to live in a tower so far away that no-one would ever be able to find her (aka Epping Forest!) Her parents grieved the loss of their child, but never gave up hope, always certain that she was out there somewhere, often feeling her presence, especially when her superficial, money-hungry Aunt Cassie was nearby. Rapunzel spent her days listening to music and studying hair magazines, perfecting the art of styling and dreaming of the outside world, so when she sees an intriguing stranger outside of her tower, she quickly decides she’s ready for her world to be turned upside down.
Geoff Aymer’s re-telling of Rapunzel is a great twist, full of puns and silly interactions between the characters that help keep the audience entertained. The original songs are worked into the storyline well and are ridiculously catchy (Dignity Jones and Barnet Magic have been on repeat in my head the whole day!). These are accompanied by choreography from Jazz Deer-Olafa that often incorporates the entire cast into an energetic, fun routine. Running at around 2 hours, at points especially in Act 2 it does feel slightly too long and could work better trimming off 30mins or so to keep the energy high and the scenes more succinct to have a punchier, more engaging run from beginning to end.
Marcus Ayton (Fortify/Mama Bea/Leon) and Montel Douglas (Dignity Jones/D.I.) are both natural comedians, responsible for most of the comedic elements of the show and eliciting belly laughs from the audience with their brilliantly exaggerated portrayals of each of their characters. Cassie (Jade Leanne Benjamin) is a great villain, her characters sassy on stage presence and audience interaction to encourage boos and hisses a great addition. Kellah-M Spring (Rapunzel) and Scarlet Gabriel (Maddy) both bring the required warmth to their characters to make this wholesome, fun production a family favourite. The set designed by Jasmine Araujo and wigs created by Shamara Roper are both automatically eye-catching and help to add to the quality of the production.
Theatre Peckham is a wonderfully welcoming venue – that clearly keeps the local community at the forefront of their projects and productions. Having grown up in South East London myself, it’s fantastic to see young, local talent from the Theatre Peckham Academy being championed as part of their Christmas show – with so many of them on stage, having full roles and immersed into each scene. They all put in tremendous effort and engagement and really help to elevate the production, each adding their own bit of magic to the scenes.
This is a heartwarming show that leaves you with a smile on your face – the passion of everyone involved and the venues hospitality embody the meaning of Christmas spirit in all of its entirety.
Runs Until 24 December 2023
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