Rapunzel meets Drag Race… I never knew Rapunzel was so naughty… Welcome back to StageSideUK for the review of Rapunzel, the Adult Panto. I saw this performance at the Majestic Theatre in Darlington on the 14th of November. This was my first ever Adult Panto and spoiler alert, I’m looking at booking some more. I will apologise now for the photo quality, and I think my brother does too, but thank you to my brother for taking some photos for me.
About the show!
Rapunzel, the Adult Panto, is a touring production of a pantomime story. Ending its run in Dorking, this tour is one that I hope none of you missed. Featuring some rather silly jokes, a wonderful character called Little Willy (Davey Hopper) and a lot of swearing, Rapunzel sure has grown up to be a lovely woman. As we see the story of Rapunzel, a princess locked in a tower, unfold before our eyes, we meet some rather colourful and sometimes half-naked characters. Will Rapunzel get her happy ending?
The Cast!
This performance had an all star cast, starring Trinity K Bonet, Ellie Diamond, Alexis Matteo and Tamisha Iman from RuPaul’s Drag race. With an ensemble that were very clearly working so hard to entertain and the prince and princess providing us with the plot. This cast really did all it could to ensure the audience was having a good time.
Some moments in the piece seemed rather short. For example, the Beyonce number from Trinity K Bonet seemed rather randomly placed and short. If that had been mixed with some other songs and went on for a little longer, I think you would have had the room bursting with energy. A Lot of the action seemed to take place in the latter moments of the pantomime, with ice breakers not happening until the end of act 2 before the bows. If this had happened at the beginning I think they would have had a lot more audience participation.
Queen B, Trinity!
Trinity K Bonet brought a good few laughs with her CBA attitude. Her Beyonce number was iconic and the room was full of cheers and screams to see that iconic moment performed live. Trinity seemed a little less relaxed than the other cast members, but this wasn’t a bad thing. Trinity tended to keep things on the rails, which meant that we had fun and went off track but had the safety of being brought back to it.
Bam! Alexis Matteo!
Alexis Matteo was brilliant as chop chop. Some brilliant comic moments and the more relaxed she was, the better it was [ I should write adult panto’s]. Some of her comedy was pure gold, the breaking of the 4th wall and the breakdown of her character really made the whole experience that bit better. One of the cast members that surprised me the most.
I said what I said!
Tamisha Iman was a complete surprise to me. Her acting was great, her comedy landed and she clearly looked like she was having fun up there. Along with the rest of the cast, Tamisha really did surprise me and gave me all I could ask for. Some of the other cast members also gave me more than I could ask for but this isn’t the place for that discussion – I would need an only fans or something to talk about those experiences.
The Diamond of Dundee!
Ellie Diamond seemed to be having a blast on stage, breaking character, ad libbing and just making sure the audience were laughing and having a good time. When all 4 queens were on stage, you could tell they all got on and the laughter coming from them interacting was infectious.
Summary!
The plot was good, following a classic pantomime throughline with a few jockstraps, adult toys and strip teases thrown in for good measure. I will say that for it being an Adult Pantomime, I didn’t really think it was that ‘adult’. Sure there were some things that you wouldn’t want your kids seeing, but compared to the video games and TV shows people watch these days, it just seemed a bit tame.
Overall though, this was a brilliant night of entertainment that had the whole audience laughing and cheering all night. A huge welldone to the cast and crew that are involved in this show about a tower behind that curtain.
The Rating!
I would give this adult panto 4 out of 5 stars. It was a great evening of entertainment, a barrel of laughs and a great chance for those drag fans to see some iconic queens. I think the panto bit was a second thought after the casting choices. It was more like a drag show with a storyline. But I am glad I went, I saw UK Hun?, Trinity K bonet and a rather saucy show for £30. Do I think it was worth it, yes. Would I see another one? Yes. Do I think they could have done more with the money and given us some set or something to look at other than… well you know… little willie? Yes. But a brilliant evening of entertainment nonetheless. Catch the show next in Dorking!
Have your say!
Have you seen Rapunzel the Adult Panto? What did you think? Did this have you gagging okurrr, or was it more of a dry heave? Let me know in the comments and let’s get a discussion going.
As always, please be respectful of each other’s opinions and be kind to each other. I completely respect and value everyone that worked on this Show. We need to remember that these are people with feelings. Let’s treat them with respect. Bullying will not be tolerated and harmful language will be removed.
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