We love a good pantomime and it has always been a Christmas treat, however, recently I have noticed that they have become a summer holiday occasion too.
This week we enjoyed our first summer pantomime – Pirates of the Pavilion in Weymouth and is was absolutely brilliant from start to finish.

Following the record-breaking success of last year’s Christmas Pantomime Sleeping Beauty, Made-to-Measure Productions are back with a bang with this brand new swashbuckling pantomime which sees the Pirates of the Pavilion on a mission to retrieve the Lost Loot of Lodmoor.

Robert Squire returns as the bumbling and love-lorn Captain Filibuster alongside Tegen Jones as the magical Spirit of the Seas, but it was Seadog Billy (Liam Mellor) who really stole the show with his slapstick comedy, impeccable timing and pure silliness that had adults and kids in stitches.

Of course, any good pantomime needs a good villain and this one was in the form of evil Captain Blackhead (Lee Neal) and the Sea Empress who conspire to transport the pirates back in time to the Land of Dinosaurs, with world domination in mind.

Sebby was waiting patiently for the dinosaurs and was rewarded just before the interval when Captain Blackhead soared over heads of the audience on an impressive flying pterodactyl.
The dinosaurs for me, were a bit hit and miss – the pterodactyl and the T-Rex were very impressive but I think all the budget was spent on them as the Stegosaurus was a little naff – not that the kids cared one bit.

There was all the traditional pantomime tomfoolery, mixed up to include dinosaurs instead of ghosts and lots of “in” jokes about local towns and villages. The songs were brilliant with some modern pop-songs, old favourites and even a bit of Greatest Showman thrown in and the dancers and their many costume changes were the best I have seen in a panto.

I was skeptical as to whether a pantomime out-of-season would be for us, but it was the perfect end to a fabulous day out in Weymouth.
For full details and to book tickets, visit weymouthpavilion.com/pirates or call the box office on 01305 783 225.
Tickets are priced at £16.00 for adults and £14.00 for concessions, with a family ticket (two adults and two children) costing £56.00
Disclaimer: We were invited to watch a performance of Pirates of the Pavilion in return for a review. All thoughts and opinions are our own.
 

• Dorset
• pantomime
• pavilion
• Pirates of the Pavilion
• weymouth