Review | Mother Goose starring Ian McKellen and John Bishop at Chichester Festival Theatre: 'This will lift the spirits'
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The tour of Mother Goose arrives in Chichester this week and while February is late for a panto (the tour goes on until April; we’re getting it early!) that just doesn’t matter.
What we have here is an untraditional traditional panto; everything you expect from good pantomime is here; singing, dancing, a man in a frock, laughter, peril, audience participation and sheer joy, but there is also a lot that is different, fresh, exciting.
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Hide AdIt must be said that an awful lot of this particular panto is not child-friendly, but those parts will happily slide over children’s heads as opposed to causing awkward questions.
![Ian McKellen and John Bishop in Mother Goose, at Chichester Festival Theatre from February 7-11, 2023. Picture by Manuel Harlan](https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/webimg/b25lY21zOjcwMDZiY2M0LWU0YWMtNDUwZi1iMjQ1LTg1YTczMGNjY2NkZTphYmUwYjY1Yi0yYmMyLTQzOTUtYTNkNC04NzI4ZmNmZGQ0NjI=.jpg?crop=3:2,smart&trim=&width=640&quality=65)
![Ian McKellen and John Bishop in Mother Goose, at Chichester Festival Theatre from February 7-11, 2023. Picture by Manuel Harlan](/img/placeholder.png)
The cast are mighty. McKellen, of course, draws the eye and the ear from the moment he sets foot on stage. The man is consummate. Granted, he’s no singer – but that’s irrelevant. He can make you laugh by doing nothing, not a blind thing, and can equally turn on a sixpence and make your heart break. For fans of the more traditional McKellen, he even gets to deliver Shakespeare. There are self-deprecating references to The Lord of the Rings throughout, too.
As Vic Goose, Mother Goose’s husband, John Bishop is wonderful. There is a genuine warmth about both the man and his performance. Presumably because of his stand-up experience, he is able to pull an audience in. He excels in the songsheet section in the second act – his connection with the public at its strongest.
Oscar Conlon-Morrey as Jack Goose has an astonishing voice – powerful lower register and full upper register – and has an easy way with the comedy. The slosh-scene between McKellen, Bishop and Conlon-Morrey is particularly well-executed.
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Hide Ad![Ian McKellen and John Bishop in Mother Goose, at Chichester Festival Theatre from February 7-11, 2023. Picture by Manuel Harlan](https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/webimg/b25lY21zOjZiZTE5MWE3LTA4ODYtNDdiMy04YzdjLWZhMzRmN2Q2Yzk4NDozNzg3ODQ1OS1jMjVhLTQyODQtYmU5Mi1mZmQzYWZhZGQ3MzE=.jpg?crop=3:2,smart&trim=&width=640&quality=65)
![Ian McKellen and John Bishop in Mother Goose, at Chichester Festival Theatre from February 7-11, 2023. Picture by Manuel Harlan](/img/placeholder.png)
Also worthy of mention is Adam Brown’s King of Gooseland. Brown does what an actor should. His ensemble work is just that; slick ensemble. When needed to step up and take the lead, he does that with equal aplomb. The man is good.
It’s long – but doesn’t feel it. If that doesn’t say something about the quality of the work, nothing does.
Grab a ticket if you can. In the world we currently inhabit, this will lift the spirits.
Until Saturday.