The White Mermaid is the most totally fabulous 2023 holidays pantomime by Trevor Ashley and co. now performing at the Seymour Centre Sydney. Before you read on, The White Mermaid (an erudite and extremely funny mash up of children's fairytale The Little Mermaid and dark cult TV show The White Lotus) - is for adults only.
Will you be able to stop laughing? The White Mermaid gives new meaning to a 'one liner', with each line of dialogue and every line of lyrics layering outlandish jokes and clever inuendos. Add bawdy moves and other saucy antics and the resulting potion is so jam bam crammed with hilarious moments that you won't want the good show to end.
Co-written by Trevor Ashley and Phil Scott the show draws on traditional panto and musical comedy history and pulls it out to its limits like sugar syrup worked into a twisted Christmas candy cane.
The glorious voice and comedic timing of mermaid Trevor Ashley have us transfixed throughout the spectacular story. Also starring on The White Lotus stage is Les Girls legend Carlotta, with a stage presence that never fades. Although at 80 there's a couple of forgotten lines, the resulting calls for prompts turn the show into something bigger and brighter, just adding more fun to the panto.
Jakob Ambrose, Stephen Madsen and Jarrod Moore brilliantly round out the fairy tale magic with their sexy song and dance brawn.
Ethel Merman numbers never sounded so good.
Costumes are super big fun in the showbiz glitzy glamour panto drag musicals morph ideated by Angie White. Also adult panto appropriate, Heath Keating gives good dance moves in the energetic choreography that recounts the '60s hey day of pantomimes without being stuck there.
Every panto has audience participation, and the traditional audience call to the "boys and girls" is brought up to date in 2023 with non-binary inclusiveness.
While The White Mermaid is super smart work you won't want to think.
Just sit back and be entertained by the marvellous adult mischief of cast and crew. You will be too busy laughing, and cheering, and clapping to think the smarts through. Instead, just let the ripples of pleasure wash over you.
Confession: I snorted and gawfawked at an alarmingly embarrasing rate, and you should too.
The White Lotus is currently performing for a short Christmas season until 23 December at the Seymour Centre Sydney.
seymourcentre.com/event/the-white-mermaid-or-the-little-lotus-a-musical-fable/
