THEATRE REVIEW

NOVEMBER 2025 | Volume 257

 

Heldover until January 11.

Added Performances:
Thursday, January 8 at 7:00pm
Friday, January 9 at 7:00pm
Saturday, January 10 at 2:00pm and 7:00pm
Sunday, January 11 at 2:00pm

Back for its 13th year, the beloved East Van Panto has had some dramatic ups and downs in recent seasons. But this year’s panto is simply the best ever.

A new writing team, Marcus Youssef with Pedro Chamale, and new director, Chelsea Haberlin, combine with panto veterans Veda Hille (composer/musical director) and Amanda Testini (choreographer), a perfectly cast cast, and can’t-miss theatrical templates Romeo & Juliet/West Side Storyto make it the funniest, sweetest, most charming and coherent entertainment this side of Burrard Inlet.

The star-crossed lovers are Joes (Ben Brown), named after Commercial Drive’s Joe’s Café, and Holly (Ivy Charles), named for West Van’s Hollyburn Country Club (both actors unpretentiously excellent). Holly’s brother (Meaghan Chenosky) is Burn. Holly and Burn’s mother-father, Boberta (Dawn Petten), is the nastiest, most ferocious and hilarious capitalist developer in the long history of East Van panto villains.

Boberta’s diabolical plan is to build an enormous luxury condowith her gazillionaire partners, the Sim Tower on Commercial, and – gasp – move the iconic East Van sign (played adorably by Tom Pickett) to its top.

Meanwhile, the Hollyburn curling team, the Sharks—Burn and delightful partners, Dolce and & Gabbana (Izel De Lara and Tresha Thamilchelvan)—face off against their sworn enemies, the East Van Pets (Petten again and Dylan McNulty). There’s not much curling, except when someone needs to be shuffled offstage three cute panto kids sweep them away on a giant curling rock (courtesy set & props designer Shizuka Kai).

Petten is incredible, channeling Mike Myers’ Dr. Evil in her arch-villain and adding many of her own wonderfully weird quirks. Chenosky’s Burn is equally funny with the most warped private-school-rich-kid accent ever. The lovers are lovely, the singers can really sing and the dancers dance. As per West Side Story, this panto has more dancing than any previous one. The ever-amazing Veda Hille has put together her always eclectic musical mix with a heavier dose of funk than usual.

Writers Youssef and Chamale ease up a little on the East Van politics central to all these pantos. Chip Wilson and Ken Sim get mentioned, and predictably booed, but there are few ad hominem insults. The writers emphasize instead East Van landmarks: the sign at 6th and Clark, Kingsgate Mall, and the Grandview Lanes bowling alley on Commercial, which serves as the play’s cleverest pun when, after being renovicted, the Pets have to sleep in the gutters.

As per panto rules, everyone gets to cheer the heroes, boo the villains and shout at the cast (“Look behind you!”). The kids in the audience have a ball, the show is more than witty enough for adults, and while silly and goofy, performed at a consistently high professional level. I laughed, I cried—no, I didn’t cry, but I laughed and laughed and wished like hell that I were up there.

 

 

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