What you need to know
Christmas pantomime Mother Goose has opened at the Hackney Empire, London. Susie McKenna directs this updated version of her 2008 show, starring Clive Rowe, best known as Norman 'Duke' Ellington in the BBC Children's drama The Story of Tracy Beaker, reprising his role as Mother Goose.
McKenna's script updates the fairy tale to contemporary Hackney where good fairy, Charity (Sharon D Clarke), is at war with her sister, Vanity (McKenna), over Mother Goose's soul. When Mother's goose, Priscilla, starts laying golden eggs, she is tempted by wealth and dreams of being young and beautiful. Runs until 4 January.
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What the critics like
You know that Christmas is here when burly middle-aged men start sticking on DayGlo frocks in fairytale lands, and if there's a burlier or better Dame in the land than Clive Rowe "I've yet to see him", says Dominic Maxwell in The Times. Rowe can really sing, and the stirring songs and spectacular set pieces in this Mother Goose make it a pleasure for all ages.
Rowe's return to Mother Goose is "a triumph of festive camp", says Serena Davis in the Daily Telegraph. Glorious songs, belly laughs and Rowe resplendent in purple rouge make for a hugely enjoyable seasonal offering and fabulous outing.
"There is nothing in the slightest bit refined about this evening: it's gaudy, garish and all the better for it," says Lynn Gardner in The Guardian. With Clarke and Rowe both on high-spirited, full-throated form, a smattering of topical jokes, and a riot of colourful costume changes, this show is well worth a gander.
What they don't like
"This isn't the most polished Hackney pantomime," says Henry Hitchings in the Evening Standard. There's not quite enough narrative drive, and some of the jokes don't feel fresh, but aren't sufficiently cheesy to be endearing - yet it's still quirky, joyous homegrown entertainment.
