Dalian Players 
Woolston Methodist Church, Southampton
Mark Ponsford 
31 January 2026
“If we’re going to eat anyone, I suggest we start with the Critic!”
Well, when they’ve seated you on the front row, and someone has clearly given the cast a tipoff, such a startling ad-lib is only to be expected, and even though it was nowhere near as chilling as a recent moment at the Plaza, when the Dame asked me directly in front of a full house if I’d “been to the toilet yet”, it’s the sort of moment that keeps you on your guard from then on. But it definitely added to the zany fun hurled from the stage throughout this latest show from the Dalian Players.
Anyone who loved (as I did) last year’s production of their (also home grown) musical Big Mouse Strikes Again will be glad to know that Dalian Players have come up with another corker. Described as “An out of this world Pantomime adventure”, it lives up to its promise, and I’d like to think will have a future life – with its cast of extravagant larger-than-life characters, an easy to follow plot, and a plethora of good laugh lines, it would be a good choice for any group in search of something a little off the beaten panto track.
Writer and Director Rob Franks, who clearly knows his stuff, has delivered another show that’s highly delightful, warm hearted, and (I’m happy to report) as mad as a chair – and an additional treat for all fans of Science Fiction, spoofing a good number of sources and well-known lines – there’s even a quote from Shrek’s Lord Farquaad if you’re quick enough to spot it. The main target, if that’s the right word, is the immortal Star Wars, and if you know the first episode (or the fourth, depending on which way you choose to look at it), you’ll have additional fun spotting the many references, visual and verbal, along the way.
The show actually opens in a Space Bar, which (like its background muzak) may owe more than just a nod to the Cantina scene. (Look out for the hilarious alien being among the crowd.) As with the production of Big Mouse, the author has sprinkled the plot with surprise revelations and twists, usually revealed with cod-melodramatic aplomb, and you’ll get no spoilers from me on that score. Suffice it to say that there’s a sweet, if initially unlikely heroine, Nova, played adorably by Isabel Gould, whose rapport with the audience grows ever more endearing as the show progresses. Her partner, Clang the robot (the nearest we get to a principal boy!) is played with equal charm by Mark Jones, and their inevitable duet, ‘Corner of the Sky’ (from the musical Pippin) is delightful, and she eventually brings a genuinely touching air to the end of the show.
There are three bungling baddies – at least initially – who burst onto the stage in a pose that suggest a kind of androgynous Charlie’s Angels, and all three – Hannah Lasenby (Vex), Bethany Murphy (Hex) and Ben Royce-Taylor as the rather sweet Rex, clearly not cut out for the life of a villain – interact excellently with each other and the audience. As regards the REAL villain of the piece, the show cleverly subverts the role of Dame into the Baddie, in this case the dreaded Dame Deadstar, personified spectacularly by Bran Franks, in the most ferocious drag I’ve seen in years. Butch, booming, and on a permanently short fuse, he’s a hilarious love-to-hate presence, as well as eventually becoming half of the funniest stage snog I’ve seen this past panto season. Then there’s veteran space hero Clutch Prime (yes, really!), played with just the right level of po-faced macho camp by Scott Archer. Among the many excellent performances on show (and there isn’t a duff one to be seen), kudos to Rich Coleman, who comes close to stealing the second half with a killer Alec Guinness. If you know, you know!
The show looks great, the small stage used to full effect, and with another first-class design (set and extravagant costumes) from James Henderson, who also appears as the surprisingly sympathetic O.R.I.B.I.S. (cue a nod to the original Alien movie in one of his pivotal scenes). Technically it’s slick and streamlined; and I must also make mention of the music, well-chosen – and with a particularly happy and infectious audience singalong (‘Reach for the Stars’), which comes earlier than usual in the second act, and actually helps to advance the plot.
During my review, last year, of Big Mouse Strikes Again, I suggested very respectfully that the show, in its future life (which I still strongly believe it will have), bow to some judicious trimming, to bring down the overall running time, and again with the greatest of respect to the creatives, I’d suggest the same for this current piece. It’s inevitable, with the premiere of almost any new piece of theatre, that although overall timing can seldom be predicted, it can be attended to in retrospect. Currently clocking in at three hours, I believe it would improve even more with some careful pruning and tightening. It’s a show with strong “legs”, and the material is good. I’m already looking forward to the Dalian Players’ next show. It’s great to see a company in Southampton not only creating consistently new and original work, but with the support and good fortune to be able to actually present it to the public. They have a loyal following and are very much a part of the City’s community theatre. Long may they thrive.
