Andrew Abbott's Blog

Sunday 15 January 2012

Went to the theatre – What a Pantomime!

Shaky sets. Iffy singing and corny jokes. Yes it’s Panto season and this isn’t to suggest that this years offering at the Theatre Royal is or rather was in any way inferior because, Cinderella once again starring Cannon and Ball was an utterly brilliant night out.


Cannon and Ball, haven’t they retired or even……?? Nope. These veteran performers have been at Lincoln Theatre Royal for a third pantomime season and yet again provided a thoroughly enjoyable, absorbing traditional Christmas treat. Sure it’s old fashioned, politically incorrect, jokes recycled a thousand times but if you’re young, old, male, female, married, single, anyone really, particularly if you’re feeling a bit miserable at the moment this is the show for you or rather was as it finishes on Sunday, that’s if you could have got a ticket which you probably couldn’t. Luckily for you, they’re back next year in Dick Whittington.

Lincoln is now a good place to be for comedy with most of the top stand up performers visiting at least once, Andy Parsons, Sarah Millican and Jack Dee appearing in front of capacity audiences in the last few weeks but there are other comedians, regular TV personalities who struggle to fill the LPAC and yet these supposed has been’s have provided the Royal with record audiences night after night after night. In terms of bums on seats this run has broken every record in the theatre’s history and it’s been around for a long long time. Out of date? I don’t think so!

It’s pointless giving you a flavour of the story, everyone knows that and in terms of the show if you ever went to see these two in their pomp well, that’s what you get and the audience loved it, yet another sell out in this lovely old venue, so good to see the place roaring with laughter, even the gods packed out, it’s a wonder they didn’t tumble all the way down to the stalls they were laughing that much.

Particular mention must be made of Cinderella and Dandini, played by stand in’s on Saturday, not that you’d have noticed but it’s the show as a whole that’s such a delight, the gorgeous dancers (even the blokes!) the local children in the dance troupe the old stager who played Baron Hardup, probably glad to have a few weeks secure employment courtesy of two old troupers happy to share the limelight. Do yourself a favour, Dick Whittington, Theatre Royal Lincoln starting December.




Postscript


We were delighted to spend a few minutes with Bobby Ball in the Bombay, Lincoln’s oldest Indian restaurant, after the show.


Thoroughly engaging and without pomposity he happily chatted with us about the show and what the duo are doing at the moment. Still good friends after all this time, Bobby, 68 we were amazed to hear has TV work lined up (on Sky if you’re interested). Tommy Cannon, unbelievably is in his mid 70’s. The pair will be appearing in their own show, in Blackpool in the late summer and of course, back in Lincoln next Christmas.

As Bobby says, they had considered retiring but what would they do? Well what Bobby will be doing first thing Monday morning, he confided, is flying to Marbella with his wife for a well earned break.

Thoroughly deserved and we thank you for the fantastic entertainment you both gave us.

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