Robin Hood Reviews Round-up at the London Palladium, starring Julian Clary & Jane McDonald

"Gloriously over the top"

"Full-throttle pantomime extravaganza featuring star turns all the way"

"... in this glitzy production, Sherwood has all the greenwood mystery of a Caesars Palace Christmas Special. That’s as it should be when Robin is played by outrageous comedian Julian Clary and Maid Marion by cruise-ship songstress Jane McDonald."

"McDonald, also making her Palladium pantomime debut, proves more than a natural at this style of comedy. With a stateswoman-like dignity, she negotiates the invariably random plot, coolly poking fun at her own self-image. Locked in a dungeon, convinced of her imminent rescue, she sings You’re My World with such depth, precision and power that it brings the house down. It’s a show-stopping moment that somehow transcends the silliness of the plot."

"It may play fast and loose with the traditions of pantomime, but nobody breaks the rules quite like Harrison and his team."

"The festive spectacular (now with even more men in tights!) "

"The London Palladium pantomime has scored another bullseye!"

"Whether Clary is dressed as a maypole, an owl or even an entire fairytale castle, “less is more” is not the mantra here, regardless of whether they complement the plot or not. Speaking of which, has an extra effort been made to focus a little more on a narrative thread this time around? No. Do any of us really care? Absolutely not."

"The chemistry between Clary and McDonald is panto gold, of course, as they both share a love for cruising (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) and her constant requests for him to “satisfy her womanly needs” are, alas, always met with a closeted hint of resistance."

"In a show that boasts giant, fire-breathing dragons and flying fire engines, drones disguised as ghosts floating over the audience and even a 3D film section, it’s simply the communal spirit of pantomime that brings the real festive fulfillment at the Palladium."

"Panto royalty Julian Clary remains peerless"

"The smut is as OTT as the sets, costumes and effects in this now annual staple of the theatrical calendar"

"“I do like a warm hand on my entrance,” purrs Julian Clary on his first appearance as an outrageously overdressed Robin Hood. The classic innuendo sets the tone for this latest Palladium panto, where the smut is as OTT as the sets, costumes and effects, and no one cares too much about the plot. Maybe they rein in the fellatio gags for family matinees. Then again, this is Clary: so probably not."

"There’s fun interplay with adults in the audience and kids brought on stage, a peerless rendition of a slapstick round song and a singalong. But the tradition of call-and-response is pretty much stamped on by Clary – oh yes it is! – and there’s only a meagre scattering of topical references."

"I’d have liked less video, and a plot that at least gestured towards narrative coherence. But otherwise, Michael Harrison’s production is an effective celebration of the showy elements of panto that mark most people’s introduction to theatre."

"Julian Clary’s smut risks becoming relentless"

"The London Palladium panto is lavish, often laugh-out-loud funny, but even in a show that trades in overkill there is a sense of clutter"

"Smut! Showmanship! Silliness! Songs! And then, care of Julian Clary — after eight years still the best-dressed, flat-out funniest reason to see these megabudget Palladium pantos — more smut!"

"... nobody is going to go home complaining that Michael Harrison, the producer and director, hadn’t thrown everything at the stage. This remains the capital’s premium pantomime experience. For once, though, a bit less would be a bit more."

"It’s still an enjoyable evening. Lovingly done, beyond lavish, laugh-out-loud funny when Clary is clicking into gear. Yet there is a thin line between a sense of abundance and a sense of clutter. This bountiful barrage of bawdiness in… checks show title… Sherwood Forest could just do with a bit more vigorous pruning."

Julian Clary’s stale smut jokes make for a hollow and cynical evening

"With its retina-burning megabucks set and tiresome routines, the London Palladium’s latest panto has precious little soul"

"Back for a ninth year, Julian Clary’s annual festive Palladium extravaganza has fully perfected the art of ostentatiously embracing the trappings of panto while, at its heart, despising the form. Each year, it’s the same glitteringly wrapped package"

"... there are enough visual spectaculars taking place on stage in this year’s characteristically casual take on Robin Hood to lull one into thinking the show is more than doing its job"

"This wouldn’t matter at all if elsewhere the show was delivering the sort of stuff a panto needs – characters to root for, a sense of enchantment that doesn’t just depend on special effects, a giddy silliness that feels spontaneous rather than manufactured, at least some semblance of an actual story, and a colourful strong ensemble cast. Instead we get awful lot of filler by way of mediocre song and dance routines"