Review: MIRROR MIRROR, King's Head Theatre, December 15 2015

The Charles Court Opera Company's Annual Pantomime has been something of a Christmas cracker for nearly a decade now, so it's great to see that John Savournin has gathered the old gang, reworked the old jokes and slid into the old high heels for another show that combines the traditional with the innovative. David Eaton is also back to do duties on the keyboard and provide new lyrics to some very well known tunes.

Mirror Mirror (continuing at the King's Head Theatre until 9 January) is loosely based on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but, as is the case for so many pantos, that tale is merely the jumping-off point for some outrageous punnery, spectacular costumes and jolly songs, in this show sung not by soap stars with some help from autotune, but by classically trained operatic voices.

Highlights this year include Andrea Tweedale's supercharged singing as the Evil Queen, Amy J Payne sporting yet another painted on pencil mustache as Larry Black, a Prince with a codpiece in a performance that is more Cameo than cameo and Savournin himself marshaling his dwarfs (all played by Matthew Kellett in a dizzying array of costumes and accents). Nichola Jolley rounds out the company as a half-human half-frog monster who isn't monstrous at all and nails a killer duet with Ms Payne.

There are plenty of laughs per minute and lots of inventive re-interpretations of hit songs, old and new, with enough double entendres to get tickle the funny bones without going too far (if you want a bit more, some performances are designated "adults-only"). And, if 2015's production isn't quite as barnstormingly bonkers as 2011's Beowulf, nor as packed with highlights as 2013's Buttons (the two best pantos I've ever seen), there's still much to recommend this show, especially if you think pantos cannot be intelligent, beautifully put together and enormous fun on stage and in the stalls. That there are so few tickets available for its run into January tells its own story.