Written by Johnny McKnight. Directed by Julie Ellen. WORLD PREMIERE. Macrobert Arts Centre, Stirling. Nov 2016 – Jan 2017
Hans No Solo is failing badly at Magic School. Headmistress Merlina has tried everything but it looks really unlikely he’s going to pass those exams. And then – horror of horrors – forest hooligan and ASBO-queen Little Red Riding Hood unwittingly robs the pantosphere of all good magic, leaving the wicked Sherffina of Nottingham to run riot with her band of evil minions.
Will Hans save the pantosphere? Will Gretel ever get a joke to tell and not just be relegated to simpering Disney-esque princess? Will Merlina catch the eye of someone in the audience and get her happy ever after? There’s only one way to find out – grab your magic wands, your dancing shoes and full-on-sing-song voices for this year’s panto extravaganza… come join the Weans In The Wood.
REVIEWS
**** “Attentive to the smallest detail… brave and audacious” THE STAGE
**** “If there is a better ensemble on a Scottish stage this panto-tide than the one at the Macbob, it will be very, very good indeed.” THE HERALD
**** “The Weans script is classic Johnny McKnight; any preconceptions of a familiar storyline are quickly turned on their head… immediately captures its young audience with its immersive visual spectacle and its older audience with (lots of) innuendo. The show is packed full of the cultural references that McKnight is renowned for and characters that, unlike many other pantomimes, are allowed to show their flaws.” THE REVIEWS HUB
**** “A brave and subversive ending that unapologetically yanks the pantomime tradition into the 21st century.” THE TIMES
**** “A genuine watershed moment in Scottish mainstream panto, as the final walkdown features a gay wedding… a completely joyous, high-spirited family entertainment.” THE SCOTSMAN
johnny mcknight - writer and director 