If you want a feel good night out filled with laughter and love then Happily Ever Poofter is the show for you. It follows the story of Prince Henry in far away land who after seeing his friends Ariel, Cinderella and others get married now wants to do the same. But being the only gay in the land he enlists the help of his fairy godfather to help him find his true love. He gets taken on a journey of adventure and enlightenment as he finds several loves. It's the perfect antidote to those January blues.
The show has a panto feel to it with the fourth wall being smashed from the outset and the audience being encouraged to ooo and aah in the right places. And alongside this it has all the elements of a classic Disney fairy tale complete with a Disney Castle. There are numerous Disney references and several of their songs are given gleeful makeovers that you don’t want to miss. It’s a pertinent choice to make given the lack of gay characters in Disney movies, Frozen not withstanding.
This a one-man show with Rich Watkins taking the lead along with a few cameos. While he is not the best singer (with song ranges adapted to account for this) he is a superb actor with spot on comic timing. Each character he plays is different and distinct and he commands the audiences attention from the start and keeps them engaged throughout. He is bold, loud and completely captivating.
The premise of this is filled with traps and so much could easily go wrong. But they skilfully sidestep all these traps and get everything right. Through a smart, witty and sassy script and skilful direction from Denholm Spurr you’re left with a cute, though not entirely wholesome, story and a theatre full of laughter that doesn’t stop. Through an hour's theatre they impressively give a coherent story, take on Disney and takes a satirical look at modern gay life. An impressive achievement.
With such a fabulous and hilarious script, enchanting characters and a surprisingly strong underlying message we thoroughly recommend this and give this production 4 stars.
Head to the Kings Head Theatre before Feb 8th. Get tickets here: https://www.kingsheadtheatre.com/whats-on
留言