Red Sandcastle Theatre’s Panto Players have cooked up their most meta holiday panto ever! Written by Jane A. Shields and Red Sandcastle A.D. Rosemary Doyle, A Ladd’n His Cat! opened to an enthusiastic audience at Red Sandcastle’s storefront space at Queen St. East and Logan, Toronto last night.
Played out as a story within a story within a story, there’s a Thousand and One Nights quality to this year’s panto (the company’s 6th), with storytellers spinning tales for their lives.
It all starts on the high seas, where a pirate named Russell (Doyle, who also did the set and costumes) has taken a Lad (Ada Balon) and his Cat (Jackie English) under his wing among his band of pirates. When the Pirate King (Kristopher Bowman) becomes displeased with the Cat, the wily critter strikes a bargain to enthrall him with a story—where he must be the hero.
In the Cat’s tale, we find a hard-working, fastidious Fisherman (Brenda Somers), his wife (Susan Finlayson) and daughter Gesundheit (Jennifer Lloyd) toiling away on the water, where the Fisherman casts precisely three times a day. Catching a rusty old bottle on the third cast, Gesundheit unlocks a Genie (Kristen Foote). Extremely irate after years of captivity and thirsty for vengeance, the Genie threatens the family with death—but the quick-thinking Gesundheit makes a deal to entertain and divert her with a story in exchange for her family’s life.
And Gesundheit’s story brings us to the classic tale of Aladdin and the Magic Lamp—with a twist, of course, as this is the Panto Players, after all.
Aladdin’s mother the Widow Twankey (Adam Bonney) is beside herself with worry. She works her fingers to the bone at the family’s laundry business, but her teenaged son Aladdin (Bowman) is a lazy brat. Forced out of the house to find a job, Aladdin catches a glimpse of the fair Princess (Foote) as she takes a stroll through the market with her mother the Queen (Somers) and the court Magician (Bernie Henry), who has an upcoming marriage in the works with Handsome Prince (Balon).
Looking for big money and an easy job, Aladdin accompanies the Magician to a cave, where he finds precious jewels (Lloyd, Balon and Foote), a bat (Finlayson) and a magic lamp. Re-enter the Cat, this time as the Genie of the Lamp.
Plot upon plot upon plot later (with plots uncovered along the way), we finish where we started. And it all works out in its own implausibly plausible way.
Incorporating popular songs—from Gilbert and Sullivan to Beyoncé—and including some fabulous choreography, stunning costumes and magical set pieces, plus audience participation, A Ladd’n His Cat! is a whole lotta panto fun for kids of all ages.
Great work from the entire cast, with nearly all playing two or more roles throughout. Stand-outs include English, as everyone’s favourite pink Cat; surly and cheeky, but always lending a hand, this Cat is one smart cookie. Bowman gives great comic turns as the proud, narcissistic Pirate King (and look out for him at the Shaw Festival this coming season); and the petulant, lazy-ass Aladdin, who winds up being a hero in spite of himself.
Bonney is a riot as Widow Twankey, Aladdin’s put-upon, stressed out mother; and as a tattooed, sensitive pirate. Foote is hilarious as the fetching and enraged Genie of the Bottle; and as the self-absorbed, selfie-taking Princess. Henry is delightfully sly and manipulative as the Magician; and Balon deftly runs the gamut from the lovable, innocent Lad to the stand-offish oaf Handsome Prince.
With big shouts to stage manager Deborah Ann Frankel, keeping it all going from the booth; and Panto Players alumna Margaret Lamarre, who assisted Doyle with sewing the costumes—even on her birthday!
Pirates! Genies! Fishing! Plus our favourite pink Cat. Wacky meta panto fun with A Ladd’n His Cat!
A Ladd’n His Cat! continues at Red Sandcastle until Dec 31; reserve your spot in advance by emailing redsandcastletheatre@gmail.com or by calling 416-845-9411.
Photo: (top) Adam Bonney, Ada Balon, Jennifer Lloyd, Kristopher Bowman & Kristen Foote; (middle) Susan Finlayson & Brenda Somers; (bottom) Bernie Henry, Jackie English, Deborah Ann Frankel & Rosemary Doyle. Photo by Burke Campbell.
life with more cowbell 