ITV I'm A Celebrity's Boy George pelted by Liverpool crowd as he issues glowing city verdict
ECHO writer Ryan Paton attended the Peter Pan pantomime at the M&S Bank Arena
It's a statement that may confuse many, but I don't think I've ever been to a pantomime before.
There may be a forgettable school trip to an amateur performance I have repressed from my memory somewhere, but I genuinely don't think I had ever experienced what many consider to be a necessary ritual as part of the festive season. Liverpool is somewhere that well and truly embraces panto culture so there was a wealth of options available to me as I aimed to finally tick off a long overdue box from the bucket list.
My introduction to panto was last weekend when a production of Peter Pan arrived at the M&S Bank Arena. As my girlfriend and I took our seats ahead of the adaptation of the classic tale, it was clear we were not the target audience as it was, of course, largely made up of families, who were eagerly anticipating the show.
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Boy George was the show's star attraction and the former I'm A Celebrity campmate seemed at home as Captain Hook as he entered the production in a life size galleon ship that made its way into the crowd. The singer was on top form as he soaked up the boos and fully embraced the role of the classic villain.
It was unclear how much the younger generation would be aware of Culture Club's back catalogue, but the singer gave the parents what they wanted as performances of hit singles Do You Really Want to Hurt Me and Karma Chameleon were weaved into the story to much delight from the crowd.
I use the word "story" loosely as this production was hardly a faithful retelling of Peter Pan. The pantomime started off in familiar style as Peter Pan whisks the Darling children from their home in London to Neverland.
However, Peter Pan was described as not a typical pantomime and the play also included extended set pieces involving circus style acrobatics and someone even breathed fire at one point. I'm not sure how this all fit into the plot, but the storyline was largely beside the point as the young members of the crowd seemed to be enjoying the spectacle on stage.
I soon learned pantomime was not really about following the story and it was just about embracing the madness on stage. As part of Peter Pan's senseless plan to defeat Hook, it was spontaneously announced it was up to the crowd to throw "cannonballs" as the villain's ship galleon once again traversed through the audience.
As Boy George and his crew of pirates, one of whom was played by Vanessa Feltz's ex, Ben Ofoedu, were pelted by the young members of the Liverpool crowd, it occurred to me that there is absolutely no other medium where you could possibly embrace such nonsensical fun as this. This fun set piece was a great way to get the crowd involved and seemed to have no impact on the story as Captain Hook still needed to have a sword fight with Peter Pan before a crazy redemption arc saw him turn back on his villainous ways as he departed the stage to take the mermaid character to Primark.
Boy George received a huge ovation as he soon returned to the stage at the end of the show to deliver a special message to the crowd. The singer still remained partially in character as he shared his glowing verdict of Merseyside in a short message to the audience.
He said: "Liverpool, sea salt of the earth." My first pantomime wasn't a traditional interpretation of the genre, but it was a handy glimpse into just what it is that gives panto its enduring charm. Famous faces having fun in unfamiliar roles, crazy audience interaction and two hours of festive nonsense.
I'm still not quite sure whether or not I enjoyed it, but I can certainly say it was an experience that will live long in the memory.
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