High octane, high decibel, high velocity: this Cork Academy of Dramatic Art co-production with the Everyman Palace hits all the highs required for pantomime fans. The legend of the Babes in the Wood is given an oriental twist with the introduction of the Goddess Kali (Fionula Linehan), mysteriously intent on frustrating the required happy ending and assisted by a particularly luscious Sheriff of Nottingham in the person of Dominic Moore.
Evil spells transform the babes from toddlers to adolescents in the literal twinkling of an eye and there is a glimpse of real comic ability in Karen Cotter's Big Dimple. Chorus and dancers make little of the restrictions imposed by Catherine Mulvihill's design, despite the efforts of the choreographic team led by Maeve Kelleher.
Costume design by Patricia Mahon, however, supplies so much imaginative detail and colour that little problems of this kind don't intrude on the gaiety achieved by Catherine Mahon-Buckley's direction. However the slapstick approach blunts the effects of Kevin Murphy's Robin Hood and Amy Martin's Maid Marian; their songs seem too brief, and Musical Director John B. Murphy's control of the electronic wizardry at his disposal didn't avoid some laggardly cues and unexpected interjections. The vigorous lighting plot from Drew McCarthy adds to the general atmosphere of seasonal excitement.
Babes in the Wood continues until January 13th; booking: 021-4501673
