Theatre review: With pirates and puns, Sinbad! sails with shameless old-school panto fun
Shameless antics, community energy, and pro dance and set touches make for a fun family holiday tradition
Dimitrios Stephanoy as Justus Bad.
Metro Theatre presents Sinbad! to January 1
THERE’S NOTHING LIKE a good traditional English pantomime during the holiday season, and Metro Theatre’s Sinbad! is exactly that. Pantos usually take a familiar story such as a fairy tale, add in a localized perspective, and revel in slapstick comedy, unapologetic word puns, drag, and a ton of audience participation—including booing all the bad guys. And Sinbad! is so bad it’s good!
Sinbad is a legendary sailor from Middle Eastern and South Asian folklore, known for his adventures in stories such as Arabian Nights. In Metro Theatre’s inventive and completely zany panto, written by Ellie King, we see Sinbad and his brother Justus Bad (did we mention the shameless puns?) embark on a treasure-seeking adventure, taking along with them a princess in disguise and an evil pirate queen and her two stooges. Their quest takes them to a deserted island where dinosaurs roam, and along the way, the group is stalked by a demon referred to as the Old Man of the Sea, whose meddling is countered by The Good Fairy.
In classic panto fashion, one of the audience favourites is a “dame”, usually a man dressed in drag and armed with tongue-in-cheek humour. Our dame here is the feisty James T. Walker, who plays Vera Bad, the mother of Sinbad and Justus Bad. Walker hams it up like an Easter dinner and is exceptionally funny in “I Wish I Were in Love Again”, where they explain to us their faded relationship with Sinbad and Justus Bad’s father—and how the ex had emphasized to the family that “the Bad name is a good name”.
Walker, who also does double duty here as the show’s director, is fun to watch throughout the entire show, often making eye contact with the audience, and using ad libbing to hilarious effect. As Sinbad, Adrian Shaffer makes for a likable hero and plays well off of love interest Princess Serena (the radiant Sara Antonia, who graces the stage with lovely balletic lines and delivers just the right amount of entertaining self-absorbed attitude). Christine Santa Maria offers great personality and a pleasing voice as Gargaro’s lady-in-waiting Lady Finger.
Dimitrios Stephanoy is a spitball of energy, serving as the audience’s host for the show. Like Walker, he’s excellent at interacting with both the audience and other actors, unapologetically delivering the show’s abundant puns and cheeky humour. His supercharged antics are on full display in the second act’s playfully interactive opener, “Twelve Days of Christmas”.
Lauren Ridder is excellent as Anne, Queen of the Pirates. Everything about Ridder’s performance, down to each conniving vocal inflection and wicked gesture, screams evil villainess. As her two goons, Flotsam and Jetsam, Noah Whiting and Ivy Hawkley deliver their slapstick comedy and buffoonery with gusto. The likeness here of Ridder and her two sidekicks is an intentional play on Ursula and her two eels, and Ridder even belts out “Poor Unfortunate Souls”.
As the Old Man of the Sea and The Good Fairy, Matt Ramer and Chris McBeath make a great pair, with Ramer continuously trying to stir up trouble despite the audience booing him. McBeath always comes to the rescue with her wand and a fairy costume that has as many lights on it as a Christmas tree.
Fun local touchstones include a priceless treasure that Shaffer says is worth “Almost enough to buy a house in Vancouver!” Elsewhere, Disney tunes and classic musical theatre gems like South Pacific’s “There is Nothing Like a Dame”, used here as Vera Bad’s theme song, help engage the audience. The use of the Jurassic Park theme song in response to the threat of dinosaurs on the island is another clever moment.
Linzi Voth’s choreography adds hugely to the show’s playfulness. Standouts include the percussive, high-energy opening number and the dynamite “The Banana Boat Song”, which makes you feel like you’re actually at a party. Dance captain Hailey Fowler is a joy to watch, lighting up the stage with her sassy, energized dancing, and Adam Manfredi shines in his moment in the spotlight, leading the party in “The Banana Boat Song”.
The songs and vocals sound great here under the leadership of musical director Kerry O’Donovan, and thanks to Walker’s direction of the show, the action flows nicely with never a dull moment.
Rob Moser and Shel Piercy pull off set designs that are ambitious for a community show, conjuring an island locale, complete with palm trees and a pleasing sandy beach and blue sky, which received instant rumblings of appreciation in the crowd. Equally ambitious are Rene Schindel’s costume designs, managing to dress a 20-person cast in storybook pirate costumes. Other highlights include McBeath’s luminous fairy outfit and Ramer’s over-the-top Old Man and Sea get-up, complete with a vast amount of long white hair and beard. Adding to the show’s infectious ridiculousness is Walker’s second-act costume, a modern-day outfit that is not period-appropriate at all.
Sinbad! is incredibly polished for a community production, with high-level choreography and staging. That's a sign of the hard work that has gone into the show, with numerous children in the cast and family members involved behind the scenes. The number of kids in the audience—rowdily shouting and clapping along to songs—and the fits of laughter throughout the evening by everyone, prove how pantos can bring communities together as well. Sinbad! glows with the holiday spirit and you’ll have a big grin on your face the entire time.
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