Reviews: Peter Pan and Sightseers

Two days, two very different shows. Yesterday, thanks to a Jack FM competition and the fact that Russell Grant's brother once capsized my canoe, I went to see Peter Pan at the Waterside Theatre in Aylesbury with my mum, brother, sister-in-law and nieces, aged 3 and 5. I haven't seen a panto for years – the last one I went to was a low budget, but very entertaining one in Aldershot.

Architecturally, The Waterside theatre has a distinctly Scandinavian feel to it, both inside and out, though the panto was decidedly British. It started slowly, with a few song and dance numbers, and I was concerned that the traditional panto had perhaps had its day – especially given there was no principal boy or dame in this performance. However, the appearance of a very sinister Captain Hook signalled the start of the audience participation and the remaining show was full of boos, hisses, catchphrases and singalongs. The 12 Days of Christmas was a highlight, part of the show was done Gangnam style and Russell Grant's cabin boy came complete with Strictly references and jokes about cruising … An entertaining evening, enjoyed equally by all three generations of my family!

And so to today, and a very civilised lunchtime spent in the Phoenix Picture House in Jericho, Oxford where the bar was open and we were able to sup a pint of Leffe while watching British black comedy Sightseers. This is the tale of an odd couple who embark on a caravan sightseeing tour of northern England, taking in the Crich Tram Museum, Mother Shipton's Cave and the Keswick Pencil Museum while offing anyone who annoys them along the way! Not a film for anyone with a weak composition as there were some stomach-churning moments but I really enjoyed this dark tale, which combines laugh out loud humour and comic book violence to create the oddest of love stories. Very impressed by the cinema too, and I think Sunday lunchtime film outings may become a more regular occurence!

 

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