REVIEW: POTTED PANTO by Daniel Clarkson & Jefferson Turner at Wilton’s Music Hall until 30 December 2023

‘a great way to kick off the festive season’ ★★★★

I’ve been taking my children to review Christmas shows for LPT for years. But they are growing up, the oldest one has just started secondary school and is full of attitude. “A pantomime? Like ‘Cinderella’???” she sneered on the way there. Could a meta-panto on a cold Friday night way out east do the business?

POTTED PANTO, an established show written by and starring Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner, looks to capture the spirit and fun of pantos, whilst also identifying common patterns and mocking the clichés recurring in the six (seven? twelve?) canonical pantomimes. Predominantly a two hander, Clarkson and Turner make a good double act as they set out to perform all the classic pantos in 80 minutes.

Staged in the gloriously unspoiled Wilton’s Music Hall, the setting lends itself to the timeless nature of these stories. Turner is the nominal straight man, looking to perform these classic stories with accuracy and reverence, whilst Clarkson is the anarchic one, distracted and determined to stage ‘A Christmas Carol’, possibly not a canonical pantomime. What ensues is an increasingly chaotic whistlestop tour of these classic tales. All the panto troupes, such as audience participation, are deployed. 

Whenever the play feels like it is running out of steam or becoming formulaic, a new unexpected element is introduced. The production, directed (and co-written) by Richard Hurst, is very creative in its use of costumes, props, and guests. It is certainly good fun, my kids enjoyed it, sadly picking up and understanding the adult jokes these days, humour around royal balls being a particular favourite. Whilst it loses a bit of momentum in the second act, overall it has a good comic drive and is a great way to kick off the festive season.         

POTTED PANTO written by and starring Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner. Directed and co-written by Richard Hurst

Produced by James Seabright in association with Wilton’s Music Hall

Wilton’s Music Hall, London E1 8JB. Dates: 29 November - 30 December 2023

Box Office http://wiltons.org.uk/

Reviewed by Andy Curtis