I NEVER thought I would see the day Bobby Davro was humped from behind by a seven foot kangaroo, but like magic beans, giants and fairies, anything is possible in pantoland.
Before the mums and dads choke on their mince pies in horror, fear not, because your children will be too busy hopping on the spot at the time to notice anything vaguely sinister.
However, Skippy’s rough and tumble with the old school entertainer is a brief moment of dirty giggles in a show which is surprisingly smut free and remains distinctively traditional in flavour.
While other pantomimes this year have attempted to break with convention, injecting the script with more pop culture references than you can shake a beanstalk at, this year’s offering from The Orchard sticks firmly to the genre’s roots.
As always, a few liberties have been taken with the fairytale story and a travelling circus narrative is thrown in to add a flash of colour.
While Jack (a dashing Wayne Perrey) belts out most of the show’s big musical numbers, Davro as our hero’s brother Silly Billy is left to provide the laughs.
Love him or hate him, the former personality of Saturday night television knows what he’s doing and much of his familiar impressions and silly voices have been salvaged from the comedy vault especially for the show.
Even if his humour is slightly irritating at times, his energy and warmth wins through in the end and I challenge you not to at least smirk at his rib tickling rendition of Without You in the voices of Stevie Wonder and, uncannily, Tom Jones.
Legendary panto actor Nigel Ellacott shows the rest how it’s done as Dame Trot, whizzing through an exhausting neverending wardrobe of increasingly over the top frocks without ever breaking a sweat.
No festive show this year seems to be complete without a cheeky nod to music’s very own panto dame Lady Gaga and Ellacott’s tribute to the new queen of pop would definitely get the royal seal of approval.
It’s all good, clean, family fun, even if a little bit more depravity wouldn’t go amiss here.
Jack and the Beanstalk. The Orchard, Home Gardens, Dartford. Until January 9. For tickets, call 01322 220000 or visit orchardtheatre.co.uk
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