Mother Goose review: Ian McKellen delivers pure theatrical ecstasy
Mother Goose: Ian McKellen is as incredible as you’d hope in his first pantomime in fifteen years
If pantomime is normal theatre distilled into only the most joyous parts, this production of Mother Goose starring Ian McKellen is the logical extension of that. Pure theatrical ecstasy from beginning to end.
Of course, it’s all down to Ian McKellen, who darts about in gorgeous frocks in a way that suggests he’s waited a lifetime for this role. He probably has: despite being a giant of the stage, playing Lear and Hamlet in the past few years, McKellen has done relatively few pantomimes, and none for over fifteen years. It’s joyous seeing him have so much fun; his energy seems derived from the audience, working like some kind of endothermic reaction.
McKellen plays Mother Goose, married to John Bishop’s Vic. Mother Goose is the matronly guardian of a load of animal waifs and strays that’ve been orphaned and live together in an abandoned Debenhams store that can’t afford to keep the lights on. (The Tories get a bashing, which is common in panto but feels particularly powerful here, given the central location and high ticket prices mean the audience will be politically mixed.)
With the flare of a nostril or a widening of the eyes, Ian McKellen lights up brighter than the show’s pyrotechnic displays
It’s full to the brim with filthy innuendos, and with the flare of a nostril or a widening of the eyes, McKellen lights up brighter than the show’s pyrotechnic displays. He has an unnervingly firm handle on a punchline, deploying over 60 years of stage acting experience to have us perpetually in fits. There’s a particularly hilarious scene when Jack, played with incredible energy by Oscar Conlon-Morrey, is asked to “grease the bottom,” and we can all guess whose rear end is involved. “We didn’t do that in rehearsals,” purrs McKellen after Conlon-Morey performs some aggressive moves on his posterior. It’s one of dozens of scenes – some incredibly emotional, too – that elevate Mother Goose to something far more affecting than a traditional pantomime.
Elsewhere, there is wonderfully rich music, with scholarly solos by the supporting cast, including Sharon Ballard as Good Fairy Encanta and Karen Mavundukure as Evil Fairy Malignia. Anne Jane-Casey as Cilla Quack is particularly arresting in the second act, although that name gag will be lost on anyone much under 30.
Lizzi Gee’s choreography and Cal McCrystal’s direction fill the stage with bright colours and dancing that’s polished enough for a West End musical. There are plenty of skits too, one involving cooking where eggs fly everywhere and there’s another hilarious scene with Vic and Mother Goose in bed.
John Bishop is the chalk to McKellen’s cheese. The Liverpudlian comedian focusses on deadpan delivery and basically opens up the stage for the Grand Dame wherever he can. But they have a special kind of chemistry: at one point McKellen awards Bishop with a fake Oscar for trying his best to do some proper acting. Jonathan Harvey’s pun-heavy script might not have landed so well in other hands, but this lot deliver the cheesiest lines with panache.
David Hockney and James Corden were in the audience when I went, and it’s no surprise Mother Goose has become the unlikely must-see Christmas show. The cast are touring it around the country until April, a bellwether for how much McKellen – who is vocally choosy about the work he picks up – values this high-draw tomfoolery. Laughing non-stop for five hours a day (they do two shows most days) is clearly a lifeline for this octogenarian – and Mother Goose will make you feel better too.
Mother Goose: Ian McKellen stars in London run of the show until 29 January and then goes on tour until 1 April at venues around the country