Everything Theatre Reviews, interviews and news for theatre lovers, London and beyond
Not quite your traditional panto, this one comes complete with added chutzpah as JW3 deliver the country’s only Jewish pantomime. Summary
Rating
Excellent
Back for a second year, JW3 provides the country’s only Jewish pantomime. It has all the fun of your traditional panto, but with a fabulous sprinkling of chutzpah! Pantomime is ingrained into British culture and it’s so nice to have a panto that’s not focused on a holiday not everybody celebrates. Goldie Frocks and the Bear Mitzvah is a very clever retelling of the classic Goldilocks and the Three Bears, but here it takes everything you thought you knew about Goldilocks and flips it on its head. Not only does it paint a version of events where Goldie is actually the victim rather than the villain of the story, but also takes the opportunity to remind children that not everything is always the way that it seems.
The cast of this clever tale is made up of our very own Goldie Lockshen (Heloise Lowenthal), although her friends called her Goldie Frocks because she’s the best at making dresses. Mamma Behr (Debbie Chazen) is the epitome of the stereotypical Jewish mother, brilliantly showcasing her overprotectiveness of her son, Baby Behr (Frankie Thompson), who is getting ready for his Bear Mitzvah. While Mamma Behr is on shpilkes about the party and plutzing over not having a dress, across in the East End stands Brine’s Designs Factory, where Calvin Brine (Simon Yadoo) works Goldie, together with her friends Minnie Skirt (Yael Elisheva) and Maxie Dress (David Ellis), to the bone and for very little pay. Calvin has an evil task for Goldie; he’s getting old, and he knows that a coat made out of Baby’s fur will give him eternal youth, but it must be done before he becomes Bear Mitzvah. He sends Goldie to find him and bring him back, but will Goldie be able to save the day with some help from her friends?
Mr Bloom (Ian Saville) is a character that bridges the two worlds together; he used to work at the factory before being exiled by Calvin. Saville has multiple solo sections, but they feel more like mini magic shows than part of the storyline, with the links to the main story tenuous at best. There is an importance for a character that can meet Goldie and warn her of Calvin Brine’s true intentions, but I wanted to see him integrated better into the story to better help with the overall flow.
The songs are reworked versions by Jewish artists, including ‘YMCA’ with the lyrics changed to discuss the importance of the RSVP, and a genius rendition of ‘Mein Bear’ sung by the villain of the show Calvin Brine. It’s a delicious twist on a number from Cabaret. My personal favourite is the use of ‘Reviewing The Situation’ from Oliver Twist as an Act Two opener to recap the story so far.
Littered with Yiddish and Jewish jokes and some VERY adult humour thrown in the mix, this really is a show for the whole family.
Written by: Nick Cassenbaum
Directed by: Abigail Anderson
Lighting design by: Amy Daniels
Sound design by: Johnny Edwards
Design by: Becky-Dee Trevenen
Choreography by: Yael Loewenstein
Produced by: Becky Plotnek
Musical direction by: Josh Middleton
Goldie Frocks and the Bear Mitzvah plays at JW3 until 5 January. Further information and tickets available here.
