By Leo Owen

There are clear expectations from a Pantomime but one aimed at adults? Unsurprisingly, instead of innuendo, the humour is much more overt, sexual and wouldn’t be out of place in a Carry On film starring Barbara Windsor. The script is peppered with expletives and there’s nudity on stage but aside from this, Rapunzel is loyal to panto conventions with plenty of audience participation, rhyming narration, glitz, farce, recognisable one liners, music, dancing and romance at its heart.

Panto regular David Hopper writes and directs Rapunzel, bagging well-known drag stars to play some of his leads. Drag legend Tamisha Iman from season 13 of RuPaul's Drag Race USA plays Fairy Fabulous, alongside Trinity K Bonet from season 6 and Alexis Mateo from Drag Race USA season 3 and All Stars seasons 1 and 5. Mateo is stylist Chop Chop while Bonet plays Prince Ryder’s persistent ex. Drag Race UK season 2 finalist Ellie Diamond joins the trio, starring as the Queen.

The show opens as it means to carry on, depicting the kingdom’s Queen and King in a series of sexual positions as Rapunzel is conceived with the intervention of the evil witch Mother Gotham (Lucy Santana Fernandes) who saves the Queen’s life in exchange for the baby. Now the story is set, we’re propelled into the future and Prince Ryder (Jack Cordingley) comes on the scene, having heard a grown Rapunzel (Julie Hutchison-Alberts) singing beautifully. He is keen to seek her out as his bride and Chop Chop’s assistant Little Willy (played by Hopper), as Rapunzel’s secret friend with benefits, is called on to assist him.

Hopper includes scantily-clad manservants erotically shaking their bits and a “shagability” contest, amid panto regulars like characters breaking the fourth wall to self-mockingly illustrate the production’s low budget, the classic all cast song “If I were not in a pantomime” and a laughably bad name punning sequence. Fart jokes, “Your mum” audience banter and wheel chair gags combine with digs at ridiculed public figures like Prince Andrew. Illustrating how much fun the cast are having and adding to the show’s mischievous spirit, actors ad-lib and visibly stifle their own giggles as they struggle to deliver ludicrous lines with a straight face.

A soundtrack of energetic feel good pop tunes is performed live on stage in front of Hopper’s pastel cartoon backdrop. There’s surprisingly no lip syncing and at times backing music drowns out vocals or intrusively overlaps narration but none of this ruins the show. Notable songs include Walk the Moon’s Shut Up and Dance with Me, Beyonce’s Crazy in Love, Abba’s Mamma Mia, Lizzo’s Good as Hell, Bonnie Tyler’s Holding Out for a Hero, Ce Ce Peniston’s Finally and Donna Summer’s Hot Stuff. Of course, the audience’s favourite is a full cast rendition of UK Hun? from Drag Race UK season 2 band, United Kingdolls. Backing dancers join some of the numbers and the funniest comedic duet comes from Little Willy and the Prince.

Perhaps a tad too risky for its 13+ audience rating, Rapunzel certainly doesn’t hold back on the smut. Tonight’s audience were on their feet by the end of the show and undoubtedly fun was had by all, filling us all a tad prematurely with Christmas cheer.

Rapunzel showed at St George’s Hall October 29th before continuing its UK tour:

https://www.adultpantotour.co.uk/adultpantotour