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The RVT are hitting us with a DP (double panto) whammy!


 

As we all know, Christmas is kicking OFF. As soon as Halloween’s over and we’ve got the last of the mini plastic spiders out of our wigs, boom! Christmas! Reindeer jumpers, getting wasted on a cheap off-brand version of Baileys that only costs £7 (“Premier Irish Crème”) and crying along to Bridget Jones. That’s if you’re at home with your parents for Christmas. If not…well…it’s a WHOLE DIFFERENT STORY.

Staying in London for Christmas is a growing trend among the city’s young reprobates. We’ve all got to the point now where we’ve done the family Christmases for long enough. Mum and dad now know that we’re fully fledged adults, and we’d much rather stay in merry metropolitan bliss with our city friends than brave the rail strikes, Brexiteers and bad sushi that plague the rest of the country.

There’s always PLENTY to keep you entertained in London over the festive season. Yes, there are fewer people, but that’s a good thing because as we well know, this city is hopelessly overpopulated and, y’know what, if Sharon from HR is home visiting gran, that’s one less minute we have to wait in the queue at Sainsburys.

Prince Bendover In Boots

A great example of the wealth of festive frolics hitting our city, is the fact that our favourite historic gay boozer The RVT, is doing not one panto, but TWO. Formidably ambitious producer Catia Ciarico decided that, actually, one critically-acclaimed, side-splittingly hilarious panto at one of the city’s most iconic venues, wouldn’t be good enough. No! It has to be two! This is why venues like the RVT are so important. Always going above and beyond to bring us a unique brand of haute-camperie!

First, we’ve got Prince Bendover In Boots, the cast of which are gracing this week’s cover, in all their selfie-snapping, Jager-brandishing glory. It’s the sparklingly salacious tale of a simple miller’s son, Cumalot (SCREAM), as well as a catty collection of our favourite panto archetypes; an Ogre, a princess, a larger-than-life dame called Bubbles (of course) and a cat called Dolly with a lust for life and a flexible spine. The esteemed cast include glitzy glamourpuss Topsie Redfern as Dolly, as well as Kriss Webb as Bubbles dahhhling, and Faye Reeves, Adam Gass and Alan Hunter as princess, Cumalot and Prince Bendover.

The RVT have promisted us it’s “untraditional and anarchic” which, really, is all we look for not only in theatre productions, but in romantic conquests, breakfasts, clothing, and life generally.

 

• Prince Bendover In Boots is at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, 372 Kennington Lane, SE11 5HY. Tickets £12 early bird, £16 general admissions. Every weeknight in December, through to 4th and 5th January. Doors 7pm, show 8pm.

 


Charming DickNext up it’s Charming Dick! Now this was a smash hit last year. It got great reviews! Even better reviews than Something Kinda Oooh by Girls Aloud! Nadine will be fuming. This one, while still produced by the RVT, is at The Cockpit Theatre. Charming Dick at The Cockpit. Really, you couldn’t make it up could you. Charming Dick is the story of a wannabe entrepreneur and dreamer, Dick, who has come to London for fame and fortune, but ends up working in a launderette with his Aunt Twankey. We’ve all been there haven’t we. It’s got a stellar cast of some of theatre and cabaret’s most promising up-and-coming talent; the eponymous Dick (never thought we’d say that) is played by Alistair Frederick (pictured); Tim McArthur plays the iconic Twankey (the ‘T’ is silent, apparently); Abigail Carter Simpson brings bouncy enthusiasm to the roll of Babe; and Stewart Briggs is the dastardly, dashing Prince Charming. And the witch is played by Matthew Floyd Jones, aka Mannish from Frisky and Mannish!

Apparently, above all else, Charming Dick is just a good old-fashioned panto! Y’know “he’s behind you” and sing-songs and all that! Like the
ones you used to go to with your parents!

Except, with jokes about rimming.
   

Charming Dick is also notable in that it’s the first gay panto ever to be picked up by a straight theatre! Yes, the Cockpit Theatre is straight, believe it or not.

Incredibly, both pantos are running ALL the way through December!

 

• Charming Dick is at The Cockpit Theatre, Gateforth Street, NW8 8EH. £16 adv tickets, £18 OTD. Tuesday 6th December – Friday 23rd December. Doors 7pm, show 8pm.

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