Theater News

London Spotlight: December 2005

Magic To Do

Publicity image for The Magic Carpet
(Photo © Keith Pattison)
Publicity image for The Magic Carpet
(Photo © Keith Pattison)

December is “Panto Month” in London — “panto” being the affectionate abbreviation for the pantomimes of which the English are so inordinately fond. For some reason, just the idea of seeing a man in a silly dress or a woman in tights and a vest and cocked hat floats many an English boat. And if they’re actors, they love being in them — particularly when there’s an opportunity to cross-dress. Maybe that’s why no less a figure than Sir Ian McKellen dolled himself up last year as The Widow Twankey in Aladdin. And he had such a good time (and is such a thorough-going hoot in the role) that he’s returning for another season. This year, he’s joined by stalwarts Roger Allam and Frances Barber, both of them accomplished tragedians out to show what good sports they are.

If you’re one of those panting for more pantos, there’s Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol at Trafalgar Studios 2 or Jack and the Beanstalk with Clive Rowe at the Hackney Empire. In the Lyric Hammersmith, one can take a ride on The Magic Carpet — although the piece doesn’t seem to involve Aladdin. And keep in mind that Scrooge, which Leslie Bricusse wrote both book and songs for, is on stage at the London Palladium with the irrepressible Tommy Steele as crusty Ebenezer.

For those who’ve had their fill of pantos — or want to avoid them altogether — there are a number of more legitimate-sounding offerings. First and foremost is the revival of Tennessee Williams’s Night of the Iguana with Woody Harrelson joined by a trio of top-flight actresses: Clare Higgins, Jenny Seagrove and Nicola McAuliffe. But the best news here is that Anthony Page, who helmed a quite respectable Cat on a Hot Tin Roof two or three seasons ago, is in charge. As for the play itself, don’t let anyone tell you different: Like Cat, this is also top-drawer Williams.

If you’re craving something that’ll truly test your commitment to serious theater during the bustling holiday season, look into David Eldridge’s new version of Henrik Ibsen’s The Wild Duck at the Donmar Warehouse, directed by the house’s artistic director Michael Grandage. For something less gloomy, William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night gets the Royal Shakespeare Company’s treatment at recently renamed Novello (formerly the Strand). And if laughs by the barrelful is what you’re after, then scamper to the Royal National Theatre, where the still-and-always-hilarious Once in a Lifetime is getting a major polish from director Edward Hall. David Suchet and Victoria Hamilton, both of whom usually take on somber roles, test their comedy chops this time around.

One final suggestion: It’s not often any of us gets to see A New Way to Please You, which Thomas Middleton and William Rowley wrote in 1632 about an imagined law requiring that men of 80 and women of 60 be terminated. It’s a comedy — but a dark one to be sure. Nevertheless, it may keep the season bright.