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Goldilocks and the Three Bears review – a turbocharged panto with pizzazz

Theatre Royal, Newcastle
Placing the story in the context of two rival circuses, Michael Harrison’s show boasts jugglers, skaters and motorcyclists

If you want the secret behind the UK’s fastest-selling panto, look no further than Danny Adams. For the past 14 years, the rubber-legged entertainer has worked tirelessly with his father, Clive Webb, to generate a phenomenal north-east success. As Danny the Clown in this year’s turbocharged offering, he hits the stage with a determination to give every last person a good time and manages to make a big room feel small.

His appeal is not so much in being witty or cute as in his tornado-like energy. Sure, he can handle a gag and his cheeky-chappy grin is infectious, but it’s his athletic level of commitment that wins you over. No routine is complete without him bounding into the auditorium or legging it across the stage, coyly pirouetting en route. Even when his schoolboy humour teeters towards the smutty, he has too much charm and hyperactive energy to lower our spirits.

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