Napoleon: Un Petit Pantomime, Jermyn Street Theatre Review
Photo by Marc Brenner
Written by Cathie for Theatre and Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
With the festive lights turned on the beacons have been set for the return of that most British of theatrical events: the Christmas Pantomime. Jermyn Street Theatre and Charles Street Opera have gone for an alternative pantomime featuring the most infamous Frenchman of all time.
The plot is so thin you can wear it like glasses and still see perfectly fine but it is the most fun I’ve had at an adult panto in a very long time. Emperor Napoleon is fresh from stealing the literal hand of Lord Nelson and wants to use it to break into a secret vault set in a toilet on Strand Bridge to steal a jewel filled with ‘dark magic’. Add in a ghostly bourbon queen, Mad King George III, his cross-dressing daughter, and Duke Wellington, and you have the perfect recipe for pantomime joy.
The jokes are numerous and truly terrible but are the quality of a dad joke that you laugh loudly as much as you groan. Their songs are all top-tier adaptations of the 80s ballads we all know and love as well as a few more modern classics we love to sing. Merry Holden’s choreography is fabulous and Benji Sperring and John Savournin’s direction is light and perfectly balanced. There is also plenty of drag, outrageous costumes, oh no he isn’t moments and other classic callbacks to bring plenty of laughter to the audience. There is also audience participation in a game at one point, if you don’t want to be involved just don’t sit on the front row.
This is truly an ensemble production where all cast members have the chance to equally shine. First is Matthew Kellet who plays a massively flamboyant Napoleon who clearly revels in being a panto baddie and carries it off with panache. Jennie Jacob’s as a beef pie-obsessed Wellington is truly magnetic to watch and really keeps the plot moving and the audience in stitches effortlessly. Amy Payne as the “straight man”, the sensible and long suffering Princess Georgiana who dresses up as a man to be listened to by her father and Wellington. Finally, we have Rosie Strobel as Marie Antoniette and Elliot Broadfoot as King George III, both are fabulous singers and bring so much cheeky style to their roles that they had me in absolute stitches throughout.
The set is simple but well made and full of the colourful characters we all know and expect from a panto production. They joke about it being low budget throughout but they have turned sow ears into silk purses to make it seem this slickly styled. It is hard to capture just how joyful and pure theatrical genius this production is as an alternative pantomime, although historical accuracy gets a literal baguette to the face, its charm and charisma are undeniable.
This show is the perfect antidote to the winter blues and will give you a brilliant smile to combat the manic pre-Christmas rush to get everything sorted. If you want a truly joyful and silly bit of Panto that is full of refreshing twists whilst paying proper homage to the historic form of Panto then I wholeheartedly recommend this show to you.
At Jermyn Street Theatre until 5 January 2025
★★★★★
