A Panto, A Pie and a Pint: The Uglies @ Oran Mor

You know the story. Everyone does... but you don’t know this version. This time it’s all about the Ugly Sisters, as the Cinderella fairytale is given a shake up in this highly entertaining panto for adults at Òran Mór. Writers Dave Anderson and David MacLennan have a ball with the script. Adding a play-within-a-play scenario, they take the well known story and give the sisters a chance to stand in the spotlight, only to find them trying to hog it most of the time. 

The double entendres roll off the tongue, the jokes come thick and fast and director David MacLennan maintains a cracking pace. Filled with recognisable tunes, amusing lyrics, a dose of satire and some inter-theatre rivalry, it’s a hoot. The cast are fantastic. Frances Thorburn gets the double – the dual role of a peppy and hormonal Buttons and a free spirited Cinderella, pulling off a very funny duet between them both. Juliet Cadzow goes for the triple; her wicked stepmother is saucy, her fairy Godmother Elaine C Smith-esque, and her lisping Prince brings the house down. 

But it’s the titular sisters’ show. Dave Anderson and George Drennan make a rather fetching pair of ugly sisters; one scowling, the other simpering, both hoping to trap the Prince’s affections. Their catty exchanges are very funny; flaws and foibles have never been so fabulous. The audience are right into it; yelling, hissing, booing and singing. The Uglies is a pure dead brilliant end to the season. [Susannah Radford]