An all-singing, all-dancing journey through London’s Jewish East End that’ll enthrall all ages
Playwright Nick Cassenbaum presents JW3’s second annual family-friendly Jewish pantomime, putting a Yiddish twist on the classic story of Goldilocks. I was joined by my six-year-old son Taylor, watching seamstress Goldie Frocks (played by Heloise Lowenthal) on a mission to save Baby Behr (Frankie Thompson) from the hands of evil fashion designer Calvin Brine (Simon Yadoo). This all happens in the lead up to Baby’s ‘bear mitzvah’, planned by the neurotic Mama Behr (Dame Debbie Chazen) with help from Rabbi Drake (David Ellis), who is a duck, naturally.
First, we meet Morris Bloom (magician Ian Saville), the self-professed ‘Spirit of the East End’, who acts as a buffer between cast and crowd. His mediocre magic – a huge contrast to Saville’s actual skill – mesmerises the little ’uns and his use of Yiddish-isms evoke a feeling of nostalgia. This, combined with his constant back-and-forth with children in the audience, fast making him Taylor’s favourite character. “He asked me to give him the name of a magic spell,” he says, “and then he used it to save Baby Behr, it was so cool!”
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