Adventures in Pantoland review: A joy to be back in Cork Opera House
Nanny Nellie (Frank Mackey), centre, with Fairy Tonkerbell (Valerie O’Leary); and Snow White (Thérèse O'Sullivan) at the Cork Opera House pantomime. Picture: Brian Lougheed
Hissing through a mask is hard, but it didn’t stop us. We couldn’t help ourselves, the baddie Balthazar called us maggots and knuckleheads, the dirty-looking eejit.
Nanny Nellie’s Adventures in Pantoland swept the entire (albeit reduced) audience away on a magical ride through a land where evil magicians try to steal enchanted books but are foiled by loved up Jack, his feisty neighbour Jill, tipsy trainee fairies (Tonkerbell had too much Fairy Liquid) and of course, the star of the show, the glorious Nanny Nellie.
For us, going to the panto is an integral part of the festive season, we missed it so much last year. It was touch-and-go for a while, but the show must go on and we were so excited to get to the Cork Opera House.
It’s a reduced cast, a shorter running time, a smaller audience. but that mattered not a jot. The incredible ensemble lit up the stage for every second, 75 minutes is plenty, especially for the smallies, and the audience roared and danced and sang along and screeched 'He’s Behind You!' to perfection. It really didn’t feel any different than pre-Covid shows.
The local gags were gas. From the threat of banishment to Ballincollig, to Elsa being found in the frozen section of Aldi, and Nanny Nellie (Frank Mackey) terrified of catching the accent out in Ballyphehane, they kept us howling, singing and swaying for the whole show.
Seeing Frank Mackey (who co-wrote the script with director Trevor Ryan) returning to the stage was special. Nephew Jack was brilliant; it was Jimmy Brockie’s Cork Opera House debut and he led us through a sensational singsong at the end that we kept going on the ride home.
Familiar faces include the hilarious Valerie O’Leary as Tonkerbell and Phoebe Dipple as Jill. Panto veteran Michael Grennell was perfection as the dastardly Balthazar.
We got parodies galore, including Abba, James Bond, Squid Games, and Family Guy, and enough fart jokes to keep us all chuckling (and wafting the air… just in case).
Visually emotional, Mackey told a standing crowd at the end: “It’s so good to be back in front of a live audience!”
We don’t take it for granted, and we’re so grateful to have been part of such a special show.
- Nanny Nellie’s Adventures in Pantoland runs in the Cork Opera House until January 9, 2022. Tickets: €24.50/€26.50. Family Pass €80 & €100
