Midnight's Pumpkin review, Battersea Arts Centre

Forget Halloween - the best pumpkin this year is in panto. Well, sort-of-panto. Midnight's Pumpkin isn't quite sure what it is, so in the middle we have a disco for the audience, but it's the randomness that makes it work. It's an energising opportunity as the festive season draws to a close, for adults and kids alike to put on silly wigs, dance to Edwin Starr, and cheer as the silliest prince on stage falls in love with Midnight, a frumpy, dumpy, modern Cinderella.

Clown prince

There is no fairy godmother in Kneehigh Theatre's production but each character brings his or her own magic. The buck-teethed mice initially have the upper hand but are regularly seen off by a radio-controlled feral feline, the Jensen Button of cats, a one-eyed ginger mog listing at 45 degrees who chases around the stage on two legs as well as four, reversing and turning at lightening speeds.

The highly flexible ugly sisters have different fathers, which is why one is Polish. At one point their mother cut off their toes and a child in the audience ran down and took one. Giles King as the pumpkin is a great MC with enviable balance, but it's Phil Brodie as the posturing prince who steals the show. Half Knightsbridge, half nursery, he's an infantilised nincompoop you can't help but love. The scene in which he's given a bath on stage is brilliantly choreographed, including his exit in the buff. His singing and wardrobe are hilarious. Audrey Brisson is wooden as Midnight, but there is one scene in which she makes you catch your breath, so she's forgiven.

In conclusion: The Great Hall at Battersea Arts Centre, is a glorious space. As with the best writing, the adults pick up on the very adult markers while the kids see only the magic. The ensemble work is terrific. It's a great night out.

References
Battersea Arts Centre, tickets
Daisy Bowie-Sell review in The Daily Telegraph