Drew McAdam, Edinburgh Evening News ***** (5 stars)

KEEPING a couple of hundred children in their seats for two hours, and maintaining their interest for that length of time, is no easy task. It has to be something special to accomplish that. But the cast of the Sleeping Beauty Pantomime at The Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh managed it. And they did it with style.

The energy never lets up from the opening scene to the big finale. There is hardly time to draw breath, and the youngsters are involved every inch of the way.

Of late, pantomimes have become sophisticated affairs. And sophistication cuts no ice with primary school age kids. What they want is exactly what Sleeping Beauty provides.

Sure there are the cringe-worthy gags. But there is more. So much more. This production offers a Loch Ness monster, a giant spider and a cast that has more energy than should be allowed by law. There is even a video screen of a special announcement from the studios of Radio Forth along with spectacular lighting, and even more spectacular costumes.

All it needs is vampires. No wait, there are vampires, too.

The sets, the costumes, the lighting - it’s all a feast for the eyes. But the singing is also top rate and the music has the whole audience clapping and whooping with every verse. As if that were not enough, their version of The Twelve Days of Christmas has to be seen to be believed. It’s the ultimate in audience participation.

The story is an old one, but this production sets the action in Musselburgh, Dirleton Castle and a witch’s lair in The Highlands. Nasty witch Grizzlebone, brilliantly played by Lori McLean, and her manservant Wart (Stuart Ryan) put Sally (Julie Heatherill) into a deep slumber and then carry her off to their Highland Lair.

However, the hilarious – and accident prone – pair, Daft Jamie (Arron Usher) and Nanny Nellie (Graham Crammond) set off on Concorde to rescue Sally. All of which provides ample opportunity for non-stop slapstick and silly humour that had the youngsters rocking in their seats with glee.

Be honest, when was the last time you saw a foam fight on stage with the whole audience egging them on? And when was the last time you actually heard the ear-splitting screams of a hundred children bellowing “Behind you!” in unison, and without prompting? It really is a pantomime with everything good you expect from that particular form of entertainment – and a lot that you don’t.

The whole production starts energetically enough, but it rises to fever pitch as the story unfolds. There are warnings to be yelled and songs to be sung and sweets to be caught. There are laughs, and there are dark, scary moments.

But above all, there is real good old-fashioned entertainment. It is Fabulous, Undiluted Nonsense – and that spells fun.

Oh, and one other surprise: you thought that Concorde had taken her last flight? Well she takes to the air again on stage at the Brunton Theatre.

Forget the fact we are sliding into a recession. Take a couple of children along to see this wonderful show, and all misery will be banished. Guaranteed.


VOX POPS

Brandon Kitchen, pupil at Parsons Green Primary School, Edinburgh.

"I thought it was fabulous; it was a good laugh. I loved all the dancing and the singing. The big song at the end was the best. There was lots of funky music. Daft Jamie was really funny - I liked him the best. I liked the big spider. I even liked the witch." 

Martin Baker, Staff Member with North Edinburgh Childcare.

"I ended up on stage undergoing a medical from Nanny Nellie which was funny, I’m sure the kids enjoyed it. But I thought the Twelve Days of Christmas was absolutely fantastic. The whole thing was superb, actually."

Melissa Thomson, pupil at St Andrew’s Primary School. Gorebridge.

"I think the end part was the best. The big song was great. The witch was okay, but Daft Jamie was very funny. I really like it all, every bit of it. I laughed and it was fun."

Thom Dibdin, The Stage (extract)

Writer and director Liam Rudden keeps his script fresh... by transferring Sleeping Beauty to Musselburgh, while his magpie eye for old Scottish music hall routines adds sparkle. Graham Crammond’s smooth patter as dame Nanny Nellie pokes the plot knowingly along. His naturally spontaneous interaction with Arron Usher as Nellie’s son, Daft Jamie, provides many of the show’s best moments. Jodie Campbell adds extra vitality to the routines - and a love interest for Jamie - as Ruby, keeper of the Loch Ness Monster. Julie Heatherill makes a fantastic beauty as Nellie’s ward, Sally. She’s onside with the audience and never nauseatingly good as she falls for Gary Lamont’s equally down to earth Honest Lad, Prince Duncan. Lori McLean is excellently vicious as wicked witch Grizzlebone with Stuart Ryan creepy as her boy, Wart...  A production so packed with invention that both Concorde and Nessie appear on stage.

Barry Gordon - Daily Record **** (Four stars)

It's that time of the year already, folks - panto time. And where else will you find the Loch Ness Monster, a haggis puppet and Concorde all appearing in a rendition of Sleeping Beauty? Why, at the Brunton Theatre in Musselburgh, of course.

Yes, the credit crunch has hit everyone hard lately, and none more so than poor Nanny Nellie (squint your eyes and it could be the ghost of Stanley Baxter possessing actor Graham Crammond). Nellie is willing to do just about any job to keep her hotel open, and with Daft Jamie (Arron Usher) bouncing around to help her, there's also the small problem of rescuing Sally (Julie Heatherhill), who has been put under an evil sleeping spell by Grizzlebone (Lori McLean).

At two hours long there's little chance of snoring your way through this laugh-a-second, sing-along riot. Blink, and you'll miss something. The many in-jokes to the Honest Toun's residents are just as easily picked up by someone from Greenock, and with Usher holding it all together (imagine a Tiswas presenter in yellow dungarees, with spiky hair and bursting with all the hyperactivity of a 7-year-old tanked up on fizzy juice on Christmas morning) you're in for a treat.

Unlike most pantos, though, there's no scene changes, allowing emeraldBLUE's version of the famous fairytale to appear even faster-paced than it already is. It's nice to see the performers getting into the audience, too, and if you're lucky, you might even end up onstage with them.

The downside is - and there's not many - we'll have to wait another year before the next one. So, get your skates on and get down to the Brunton.

Thank God Musselburgh's got talent.