Little Red Riding Hood at the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool

5/5

The Everyman rock’n’roll panto is the stuff of legend and for many on Merseyside it is the highlight of the Christmas season. Although it took up residence in the Playhouse while the Everyman underwent its restoration, the city has been eagerly awaiting the return to its rightful home.

The wait’s certainly been worth it with this rollicking version of Little Red Riding Hood, a production that has everything all good pantos should have and much more. There are plenty of laughs for the young and not so young as well as loads of opportunities for audience participation. The music, all live, is great with some cheesy classics, Queen ballads and funky disco which has the crowd jiggling with delight.

Much of the success is due to the clever writing from Sarah Nixon and Mark Chatterton. Stalwarts of rock’n’roll panto for more than a decade, they manage to pitch it perfectly for all age groups and they’re aided by a fantastically talented and multi-instrumentalist group of actors.

This is a Little Red Riding Hood like no other — the story, fairly incidental, sees the battle between the Spring Fairy and the icy Queen of Winter framing the action as Red and her sweetheart Skye stray from the path and we all know that will lead to no good. But we also know that it will make for great panto.

All the performances are excellent, especially a wonderfully stroppy Zita Frith as the Ice Queen, Blanche de Winter. Jonny Bower, super-sleazy as the slinky wolf, also plays a mean guitar.

At the heart of all the best pantos is a comic double act and here Adam Keast is in fine form as Red’s father Woody with the excellent Francis Tucker as the panto Dame Betty Berry.

The two keep the action moving and the audience engaged. The squeals of laughter — and that’s just from the adults — during a frantic water pistol fight just about sums up this delightful production.

What a rocking year for the Everyman. Reopening in March to great critical acclaim, then last month winning the prestigious Stirling prize for architecture, this triumphant return of its panto is a worthy celebration for the end of such a year.

Runs until January 17, box office: everymanplayhouse.com