Robinson Crusoe and the Pirates of the River Ouse - York Grand Opera House (REVIEW)

Last night we travelled up to York to catch their annual pantomime! This years production was a panto that I have yet to see - as it doesn’t frequent the circuit as often - and that is ‘Robinson Crusoe and the Pirates of the River Ouse’.

As far as pantomime goes, this had everything you would expect!

Berwick Kaler returns as ‘Dotty’ the Dame in this production - Her first entrance accompanied by a fantastic video travelling through york to get to the venue - This was great to watch. Kaler not only stars in the Grand Opera House pantos but writes and directs them too.

Martin Barrass plays the comedy role of ‘Willy’ with great energy! Some really great comedic moments - One in particular was the Kitchen cooking scene between Barrass and Kaler which is a favourite gag of mine to see.

Suzy Cooper brought a lot of giggles to stage multi-rolling as both ‘Polly’ and ‘Fairy Britannia’ both leading roles that required a lot of stage time and therefore many quick-changes (including a 40 second change, with the audience counting along).

David Leonard gave an outstanding performance in the role of ‘Narcissus’ bringing the villainous panto energy and also impeccable vocal ability and character to the stage. A true master at work, and the most incredible villain!

This cast of wacky characters was joined by a fantastic ensemble of trained dancers! Henry Rhodes gave a standout performance though with precision and eye-catching execution of the choreography. After performing in the York Panto at age 8, he returns after starring in the West End production of ‘Newsies’ to wow the audiences of York once more!

The ensemble were also joined by an array of younger dancers from the local area too - all of whom were fantastic and definitely deserve a mention.

The set for this panto had no expenses spared - it was fabulous! Each scene seemed to bring a stunning new piece of set, giving the performers a magical world to play in and entertain the children and adults of York!

This panto is a treasure trove of comedy, dancing and most of all festive fun for all of the family to enjoy! Need i say more?

Thank you so much for inviting us to attend! We had a magical time and hope to be back next year.

Robbie Davies | Robbie’s Backstage Bants

16th December 2023