The best Panto can’t be found right here in Bucks… OH YES IT CAN!
Last night we were invited to Aylesbury Waterside Theatre for The Further Adventures of Peter Pan: The Return of Captain Hook Gala night. What a spectacular night it was!
This was actually our first time visiting Waterside Theatre for the Panto and I can confirm it will now be a firm fixture on our annual calendar.
Aylesbury Waterside Theatre always delivers in terms of a good show at any point in the year and this was no exception. The set design, lighting, special effects and sounds were remarkable. It blew our minds how we were transported from one scene to another so quickly and seamlessly. At one point we were deep in the forest in Neverland and a moment later we were at the bottom of the ocean.
Mix that with a fantastic storyline, incredible costumes, lots of a laughs and an all star cast you have yourself a phenomenal family night out!
I knew that Andy Collins reputation for incredible pantos was good, but we were so impressed. Starring in the show as Smee he was fantastic. He was engaging, hilarious and delivered the character with all the energy you’d expect from a top class panto. Alongside Bradley Riches who starred as Peter Pan and Mark Moraghon as Hook this all star cast put on a fantastic show.
The voices and stage presence of every single member of the cast made the show what is was. The three pirates were Freddies favourites, especially when they started their acrobatics, brilliant entertainment!
The whole storyline was excellent and had all the added extras you’d expect from a pantomime, the audience participation was fantastic it was so much fun for the kiddos and the humour had us all belly laughing. Throughout the show there were plenty of TikTok music hits and chart classics and lots of dancing and jumping from the stage and the audience! Freddie loved that he knew lots of songs and we all had a good sing along. All of this added to the charm of the production and the whole show was utter escapism.
We had been warned by a friend to pack a water pistol and we went prepared. But wow! The 12 days of Christmas part of the show is BRILLIANT. There were loo rolls flying around the audience, a hilarious version of the song and then all hell broke loose and the boys had a blast using their pistols. But we warned, we were soaked!! (You are warned to move to the side if you’d like to which is what Matt did with Matilda!)
This was just a wonderful, wholesome, festive family fun evening out and we had the most wonderful time. If you are looking to do one thing as a family this Christmas, I would highly recommend the panto at Waterside.
A swashbuckling adventure for kids and kids-at-heart—this panto soars higher than ever!
Aylesbury’s best loved panto runs until 5th January 2025.
