Review: Sinbad, featuring The Little Mermaid, Brunton Theatre

Published on Monday 23 November 2009 08:38

Sinbad, featuring The Little Mermaid **** Brunton Theatre

IN HANS Christian Andersen's evocative tale of The Little Mermaid, each step taken by his newly transformed princess makes her feel as if she's walking on the blades of knives. It's the sacrifice she makes for love.

In the same vein, one has to assume that Julie Heatherill must adore her role as mer-princess Coral to willingly spend so much of this year's panto Sinbad, featuring The Little Mermaid en pointe, swimming gracefully from scene to scene on the tips of her toes. After all, the toll on her feet for the show's seven-week run is enormous.

Yet Heatherill is never anything but poised and feisty as the young water nymph searching for the three prongs of Neptune's Trident, in order to save Atlantis from the clutches of the evil Crabsclaw, along with the rest of the Bobbin' Tide's crew.

Captained by Sinbad the Sailor and manned by his eccentric family, the trusty boat carries them to far and distant lands on a mission to solve the mysterious riddles they've been set. Hotly pursued by vain Sea Witch Crabsclaw and her crustacean minions, however, their task is fraught with danger and beset by the dodgiest seafaring gags Musselburgh can muster.

Refreshingly light on the romantic interludes shared by Gavin Paul's suave Sinbad and Princess Coral, playwright and director Liam Rudden gives sidekick Swishee Swashee McDishy and dame Saucy Nancy plenty of stage time to entertain the punters with an array of zeitgeist embracing sketches. A sub-plot about the upcoming Musselburgh's Got Talent competition providing rich fodder for a series of gags in particular.

Supporting the leads, David Elliot's Shingle is nimble and wonderfully demented in his dealings with Isabella Jarrett's sinister Crabsclaw, lighting designer George Tarbuck provides some fabulous effects to heighten the drama, while assistant director Edward Cory's turn, in three different roles, is infused with assured comic timing.

Aaron Usher is completely at ease warming up the audience as ginger phenomenon Swishee, while first-timer Craig Glover is a natural as Saucy Nancy.

Working to a budget tighter than Widow Twanky's corsetry, costume designer Christine Ross and her team have created a brilliant selection of outfits, with kudos going to an outstanding Doctor Who-themed skit requiring endless dress changes by Glover and to the design demands of Crabsclaw's army.

While short on original songs, the cast fare well with a variety of popular hits, including The Little Mermaid's Part of Your World, Alesha Dixon's The Boy Does Nothing and a Take That duet between Paul and Heatherill.

Keeping the rest of the cast on their toes are no less than 29 young chorus members doubling as Crabsclaw's helpers and dancers, displaying the sort of uppity talk-to-the-hand attitude that would take them as far as permanent detention in real life.

It's the sort of production that a young mer-girl would willingly swim over hot-coals to get to . . .