Theatre Space North East returned to St Paul’s just before Christmas with their latest pantomime, penned by Jamie Brown. The Frog Prince told the story of a frog who was made into a mutant by the illegal polluting of rivers next to a factory in the kingdom. A very topical theme but with a canny fairy tale twist. Or at least I hope so or we will be overrun with mutant talking frogs in modern day Britain with the current state of our waterways.

The show had a small cast of four, with some playing several roles - most effectively illustrated when the king fought the chef in an amusing, chaotic scene with the chef’s hat being dropped on the actor’s head to indicate he was that character and being removed when he became the king. The frog was puppeteered by one of the young cast members who handily wore green so he also looked frog like.

The panto had the usual mix of original songs, dancing and topical jokes - the recently abolished winter fuel allowance and prisons overflowing with inmates got mentions. But it also very much appealed to the youngsters present. The toddler in front of me was entranced and kept shouting out “hiya froggie” - to her delight the frog replied “hiya!”.

There was a happy ending of course with the frog being turned into a boy at the end and made into a Prince. The King and princess got their phones back after they had been confiscated early in the show. We should all maybe put our phones down for a moment and go to watch live shows like this. It was a pleasing, energetic romp through a story suitable for old and young alike. 

By Elaine Shanks