Last Christmas it was Dawn French who brought celebrity star power to the Palladium panto Jack and The Beanstalk. This year it is French's comedy partner Jennifer Saunders playing villainous Captain Hook in Peter Pan. Apart from that this is business as usual for the ensemble – in other words a riotous mix of camp, slapstick, smut and occasional acting. And, as always, glorious fun.
I'm not sure JM Barrie envisaged Julian Clary dressed as a giant prawn, or Peter Pan's crotch catching fire after some limbo dancing. This is a version that just about pays lip service to the origin story. No wonder a song in the second half, sung by scene-stealing imp Rob Madge as fairy Tink, asks "whatever happened to the plot?"
Instead the cast concentrates on enjoying themselves and entertaining the audience. Saunders is superb as Hook and cannot resist breaking into crowdpleasing Abfab impressions. Louis Gaunt is a more muscular Pan than you might expect. The boy who never grew up, but clearly spent a lot of hours in the gym. Clary as Seaman Smee brings Act One to a close on a literal high as he glides into the rafters.
Elsewhere familiar set-pieces are given a new spin. Gary Wilmot's Dame delivers a trademark rapid-fire wordplay number. Professional duffer Nigel Havers and slick ventriloquist Paul Zerdin join Clary and Wilmot for a singalong which involves Havers being repeatedly whacked.
The set, by Mark Walters, is less gaudy than last year's Jack and the Beanstalk, but then anything would look less gaudy alongside Clary's dazzling outfits by Hugh Durrant. A feathered, sequinned naval uniform is a particular delight. It's apt though that the nautical set is festooned with compasses, as this is a show that lacks direction at times.
There is one stand-out moment, however, that stops the production from being completely formulaic. In a moment of seriousness Clary pays tribute to his late friend Paul O'Grady, who previously added some magic with his panto appearances. It is a touching dedication to the performer who died in March before we return to the fun and games.
Occasionally there are flashes of satire with swipes at Farage, Sunak and Starmer. But what producer/director Michael Harrison's panto evokes most of all is the Carry On film franchise. As with those corny classics, each returning performer here plays the same character, regardless of the production.
In fact, rather cheekily, the script even borrows a famous line from Carry On Cleo – "Infamy, Infamy, they've all got it in for me" – when Hook is consumed by a crocodile. Let's call it homage rather than lift, but either way you'll be laughing too much by then to care.
London Palladium, to January 14; palladiumpantomime.com
