Panto: Dick Whittington

It's the tail-end of panto season. School is back, Christmas and New Year have come and gone and the holidays are over. But fortunately the New Wimbledon Theatre's Dick Whittington is a welcome hanger on from the period. Its funny, sharp and varied enough to keep people of all ages entertained. There's even a 3D film segment in the second half to scare the children. But top billing for this show is Dame Edna as the Spirit of London fairy helps Dick (and the show) along. The show gives and opportunity for Dame Edna to fly through the audience, riff on old routines and muse about the genre of the pantomime. It is hilarious stuff. The jokes about empty seats being the result of subscribers to the theatre from the posh parts of Wimbledon, who have since died, are comedy gold...

Of course when Dame Edna isn't around there is the good looking Sam Attwater as the hero and Anna Williamson as Alice along with a host of supporting characters that work so hard it is exhausting to watch.  Even if you are not so sure whether pantomime is your cup of tea (it is a curious mix of children's comedy and adult filth), it is a hell of a night out... It finishes Sunday...

The Wimbleboo with johnnyfoxlondon on the train home (with apologies for the station announcements):

Scenes of London: Sunday in the Park

January in London doesn't have to be grey and miserable.

It can be crisp, sunny and green with a dog mid-distance wandering around for no real reason...

Theatre: Cirque Du Soleil - Totem

Cirque Du Soleil's journey of the origin of the species - Totem - returns to the Royal Albert Hall for a limited run. Directed by Robert Lepage, it is a thrilling and beautiful show. People fly through the air, juggle, unicycle, play tricks and clown around. It is all spectacular stuff.

Grim New Year: Sweeney Todd Preview

2012 looks set to be delightfully grim if this teaser trailer for the Sweeney Todd musical is any measure... It opens at the Adelphi in March 2012...

But it won't be all blood and murder... I'm off to see Cirque du Soleil's Totem tonight... More later...

Theatre: The Importance of Being Earnest The Musical

The Importance of Being Earnest, The Musical currently playing at the Riverside Studios Hammersmith, turns out to be a nice little Christmas surprise. The show with a book by Douglas Livingstone and score by Adam McGuinness and Zia Moranne takes Oscar Wilde's play and turns it into a brisk and witty affair that captures the essence of the comedy while feeling like a distinct show in its own right.