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Set in the imaginary Eastern European kingdom of Slutvia, ‘Tinderella! Cinders Slips It In’, is a panto reworking of the classic scruffy-girl-made-good fairytale, but – SPOILER ALERT – in this version Tinders is a boy. So not only do our star-crossed lovers have the fact that they’re from different social spheres to contend with, they also face the rampant homophobia of Slutvia where even the spiders hold the unenlightened views of the average EDL member.
Gay fringe theatre Above the Stag’s annual panto is a raucous, incredibly camp affair, rammed to the rafters with innuendo. The ugly stepsisters – rough-around-the-edges Maud Escort and the dim-witted Nicole Ferrari – belt out catchy songs, and are also blessed with the best one-liners, including the hilariously tragic: ‘the futile shitness of it all doesn’t hit me till I’ve had me breakfast’. Throw in a magnificently malicious stepmother, a wonderful brat of a Prince Charming and the king – an affable idiot – and not only do you have the world’s most unappealing family, but also all the ingredients for a night full of belly laughs.
A great London panto? Oh yes it is! It’s spectacularly funny and not only does it contain the most-graphic bum-sex ballad I’ve ever heard – with a chorus containing the lyrics, ‘I want to rim you like I’m some kind of burrowing creature’– but is also heavy with pop-culture references, from Beyoncé to One Direction.
With a splash of ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ chucked in for good measure, plus a sort of half-abandoned City of Angels sub-plot, this pantomime is mildly chaotic and hugely excellent. As camp as Christmas and brilliantly boisterous – not to be missed.