With author Johnny McKnight, course from Darren Brownlie, design from the famend Kenny Miller, and a solid that features TV and theatre star Joyce Falconer, favorite Scottish panto dangerous man George Drennan and stalwarts of the Scottish stage Gail Watson and Michele Gallagher, it might seem on paper that this ought to be a strong gold hit. Mumbelina nonetheless, proves to be one of many weakest efforts that McKnight (whose monitor document is nearly unmatched in fashionable Scottish theatre) has ever dedicated to stage.
Our heroine, single mum Ina D.PePe (Falconer) is fed as much as the again enamel along with her three screaming weans and being handled like a doormat. She needs that her life could possibly be a lot extra – that her world could possibly be a lot larger than it at the moment is. When Ina meets the magical inexperienced amphibian Froggie Mercury (Drennan) he guarantees her he could make her goals come true. Unfortunately for the misguided Ina, as a substitute of her world turning into the extravaganza she needs it to be, she is shrunk to the dimensions of a teeny tiny bunny and descends right into a world miles under the earth along with her fellow prisoners Moley Parton (Watson) with essentially the most good Dolly voice impersonation and Glamingo Starr (Gallagher) a would-be West End thesp.
Next ensues a lot mayhem because the gang finally realise that their previous lives have been infinitely higher and love is basically all you want. Tunes from Novasound (Lauren Gilmour & Audrey Tait) and choreography by Amy Scott add to the motion.
The solid are supremely gifted and each ship the strains and belt out the tunes with aplomb, nevertheless it’s the script that’s at fault. This has all of the theatrical credentials and extra, and will have been good, however the storyline is massively underdeveloped and the laughs simply aren’t there. Previous summer season pantomimes have been tears down your face, stomach-achingly humorous of their one hour working time. This, heartbreakingly, is a large, big disappointment.
Runs till twentieth July 2024 at Òran Mór, Glasgow
