Page On Stage:

Whether you’re a super fan or not it’s hard to have lived a life untouched by classic Disney movies, they’ve been a huge part of millions of people’s childhoods. Since the release of its first animated feature length fairy tale Snow White in 1938 Disney has been delighting children and adults alike with its magic. Whether it’s in the retelling of well-known stories like Sleeping Beauty or Cinderella, or modern hits such as Frozen, the film giant has unrivalled success in children’s entertainment, thanks in no small part to its very distinctive way of storytelling. Many children, like myself, grew up watching countless Disney films and have been influenced by their lessons in kindness, friendship, generosity, and courage. But when the films of one company are so influential in so many young people’s lives what happens when that company chooses to only tell one kind of story?

Happily Ever Poofter is a one man parody musical show which explores society’s absolute refusal to acknowledge same sex romance in children’s media, targeting one dominant presence in that area in particular… and I think we all know the main culprit. The story follows Prince Henry of The Southern Vales, the only gay in the kingdom, and his pursuit of love and acceptance. He’s seen all the other princes marry their princesses and he wants a happily ever after of his own, only he’s becoming increasingly sure that there’s no prince waiting for him and that perhaps he needs to leave the kingdom altogether to find what he seeks. Assisted by his fairy godfather, Prince Henry finds himself in the twenty-first century and fully immerses himself in the modern gay scene, learning all about the wonders, excitement, perils, and pitfalls of being a gay man. Will his adventure lead him to true love? Or will his differences damn him to an eternity of solitude and misery?

Told in a series of songs parodying well known Disney classics, this energetic one man cabaret includes numbers such as ‘I’ve Just Come Out to The King’ and ‘One Day My Prince Will Cum’. It’s side-splittingly funny and I left the theatre with an aching jaw from grinning almost non-stop throughout. Cheeky, packed with innuendo, and relentlessly good fun Happily Ever Poofter has the feel of a pantomime, a drag show, and stand-up all rolled into one. But despite having the audience in stitches for most of the duration, it also doesn’t shy away from some of the serious issues affecting the gay community such as drug abuse and STDs/STIs. Further to that we see with real clarity the way that an absence of queer stories can affect queer people, particularly children. Where are our happily ever afters?

A year or so ago the topic began to circulate throughout social media that it would be wonderful if Frozen’s Elsa could get a girlfriend… The backlash was so telling of much of society’s attitudes to same sex couples – tolerated in theory, but ‘not in front of the children’. The idea that a man and woman kissing in children’s stories is fine, but two people of the same sex kissing is ‘inappropriate’ is inherently homophobic and still the prevalent attitude even in the twenty first century. Happily Ever Poofter highlights and condemns this attitude with defiance, strength and heart. After all, some children are gay… get over it!

High praise goes to Rich Watkins, the actor and creator of this fantastic show who brings fabulous energy and unwavering commitment throughout. His comedic timing and improv skills are faultless and the success of this show is in no small part down to the fact that he’s working his patent knee-high heels off! He multi-roles as various other characters as well as Prince Henry, and there’s a heavy audience participation element throughout with which he takes no prisoners.

Happily Ever Poofter has everything – singing, dancing, audience participation, puppetry, comedy, tragedy, sex, drugs and more! But the best thing about it? Its inspiring message of LGBTQ solidarity, we’re here, we’re queer, and if we have to write our own stories to be ‘part of your world’ then that’s exactly what we’re going to do.


HAPPILY EVER POOFTER
Created by: Rich Watkins
Directed by: Denholm Spurr
Choreographed by: Simone Murphy
King’s Head Theatre,
21st January - 8 February

@happilyeverpoofter

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

★★★★☆

Mrs Henderson Presents was a film based on the real life Laura Henderson who bought London's Windmill Theatre shortly before the start of the Second World War. She put on shows notorious for featuring tableaux of real nude women posing as statues and managed to find a loophole in the strict censorship laws of the time that allowed this on stage nudity, provided that the actresses didn't move.

Although I'm a big fan of the original 2005 film Mrs Henderson Presents I went into the new musical adaptation with zero expectations. For the past few years there has been a rise in the popularity of beloved movies being given the musical makeover, the outcome of which has seen musical film adaptations dominating Broadway and the West End with varying degrees of success. On the one hand this West End version of Mrs Henderson could bring a new dimension to a brilliant story, but on the other hand it could be a train wreck of lazy writing and re-hashed theatrical cliches.



I was pleasantly surprised to find that Mrs Henderson Presents at the Noel Coward Theatre was a fantastic and fitting tribute to the film, as well as being a wonderful show in its own right. There was nothing about it that you could call 'fresh', but it held its own all the same and was a delightfully entertaining way to pass a Saturday afternoon. It was fun, sad, and poignant in equal measure, and although it couldn't be described as lyrically brilliant, it was sweet, simple, and had a ton of heart. Three simple but powerful ballads carried the show musically, performed with genuine feeling and oodles of talent that induced that heart-in-the-throat goosebumps sensation musicals enthusiasts crave. The other numbers were delightfully music hall and, though they were rather forgettable, I can remember that they were very good fun!

The nudity was tasteful and artistic as it should have been, it was never played for cheap laughs to attract a leering crowd, and at no point did it ever feel seedy or dirty. The actresses carried themselves with great dignity and even when one of them came to the front of the stage completely nude, stood in all her glory just meters away from the audience, and flipped the V at Hitler and the war there was nothing to be ashamed of, not for the actress or the audience. In fact it was easy to forget that she wasn't wearing clothes as she had such a presence and a sense of real moxie about her. It was a celebration of the female form, a triumph of sisterhood, girl power, and the beauty of the underdog.



At its very heart Mrs Henderson Presents was undeniably British in the very best ways. There was just the right amount of slapstick to give it some charm without making it feel like a Carry On film, and it was underpinned with the gritty patriotic determination that makes us so proud of our nation. The show was executed with just the right amount of subtlety, it got its point across but the temptation to be heavy handed with the 'futility of war' theme was resisted. The staging was simultaneously glamorous and revealing, both the worlds of the showbiz fantasy and the reality of the backstage of a theatre in Blitz age London worked in harmony so that it was easy to stay completely immersed in it all without getting whiplash whilst moving between the two.
Hats off to Tracie Bennett in the lead role of Mrs Henderson - a memorable part played with great panache by Judi Dench in the original film. Dame Judi's shoes are big ones to fill at the best of times, but Mrs. Henderson is unarguably one of her wittiest and sharpest roles, and once you factor in the singing and dancing it must have been a daunting challenge to say the least, but Bennett faced it, grabbed it with both hands, and conquered it with great success. It would be wrong to finish this review without also mentioning the incredible vocal talents of Emma Williams who played Maureen, the tea-girl turned stage star, who brought the audience to tears with her stirring performance of the song 'If Mountains Were Easy to Climb'.

Overall this was a good old-fashioned musical show which didn't exactly break the mould but which was charming and enjoyable nonetheless, and which I'd recommend seeing before the end of its run on the 18th June.