A Midsummer Night's Panto at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern

A Midsummer Night's Panto at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern

21 July, 2008
by: ChloeM

Nathan Evans, the writer, director, and leading fairy of this show at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, has ingeniously adapted Shakespeare’s first romantic comedy, in true Vauxhallville style.

An all star cast includes drag queen performer Michael Twaits, who I’d enjoyed in his very own 'Confessions of a Dancewhore’, and cabaret act Dusty Limits, who put on a gloriously filthy show at this year’s Dirty Red Ball.

Two of the five Bearlesque troupe let it all hang out in their sexy Greek togas, while the gorgeous Polly Vinyl stars along side Sarah-Louise Young (the singer, not the porn actress), making up the cast for what proves to be a refreshingly original take on Shakespeare’s 'Dream’.

Set in Ancient Greece, the performance follows the intertwining stories of four young Athenian lovers, the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Athens, and those mischievous, meddling faeries. The show is part panto, part cabaret, and part stand-up sillyness, with of course a healthy helping of crudely camp humour.

As our fantastic drag act utters in the opening scene “The path of true love never did run smooth” and we enjoy the wry bear’s response “Why, did you forget to shave this morning?” the tone is set for a laugh out loud show.

The inevitable puns with the characters Bottom, the ass, and Puck are all present and correct, while some tongue-twisting modern rhyming couplets are equally remarkable and ridiculous. The show is a real labour of love for Nathan, having painstakingly re-scripted the story so that every detail is captured and presented in a way that everyone can enjoy.

Audience participation is of course encouraged, with plenty of the obligatory panto shout-outs, and even a few audience members being brought to the stage for various bit parts.

Michael and Polly sport a vast array of glamorous dresses and feather boas that could put Kylie to shame, but even such fabulousness is not enough to woo their desired partners. The bearlesque boys perform excellently in their mock hetero roles, with much hilarity had by all at the women lusting (or should I say humping) after them.

Every detail is well thought out, from the inventive sets, to the excellent music choice thanks to DJ Dawn Right Nasty, the resident pianist, and musical director Simon Wallace. Most notably, the final sing-song 'Dream a little dream of me' provides a gloriously fitting close to the show.

The cast, all amazing stage acts and divas in their own right, come together on stage with a real sense of fun and spontaneity that must make for a completely different performance every night.

The RVT is a small, intimate venue, with a mixed, friendly crowd of boys and girls who are always up for fun and games. The lovely staff, good music, cheap drinks, and array of activities on every night of the week, means that there really is no excuse not to head down.

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ChloeM