Month: November 2025

Accessibility Review: ‘Mother Goose!’ The Beating Heart Of Christmas Comes Back To The Mercury Theatre!

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Hi everyone and welcome back to another review! We’re heading into the festive season, which means we’re entering my favourite time of year… Pantomime season!

This year at The Mercury Theatre is “Mother Goose” — definitely not your traditional pantomime story! When it was first announced, I wasn’t sure how it would work, but I was pleasantly surprised.

The show begins in a very traditional pantomime way, with a fairy welcoming us back — the amazingly talented Sasha Latoya, returning for her fifth. year at The Mercury! She sets the scene brilliantly and gets the audience going right from the start. After the first song, we learn that Gertie Goose (Anthony Stuart-Hicks) owns and runs a local circus. Times are hard for the family, especially as she has taken in a goose as her son, Billy Goose (Dale Superville), along with her daughter, Gracie Goose (Daisy Greenwood). Then one day, their landlady, the very wealthy Baroness Bellinora Badapple (Jaimie Pruden), raises the rent to ridiculous amounts! It becomes a quest to stop the evil Baroness from taking everything they hold most dear.

Image shows a inside of a Circus tent pantomime set with a giant screen the middle showing the title mother goose! The colours are the tradition circus colours of red white and blue

This has to be the BEST pantomime The Mercury has ever produced! They had the audience captivated from beginning to end. From Sasha’s and Jaimie’s incredible vocal performances to Ash and Dale’s perfect comedic timing, it was a show I never wanted to end! The sets and costumes were pure panto magic — full of glitter, colour, and stunning design. The Mercury has truly brought the magic of pantomime to life this year.

There was fair use of pyrotechnics — sometimes a little tricky, and at times the lighting was slightly harsh on my eyes. But the sheer enjoyment of the show made all of that melt away, and I was able to fully enjoy it. If I had to pick at anything, I would have liked to see more of a story arc for Gracie Goose and Bailey (Kemi Clarke). It felt like these characters were mainly there as the love-interest element of the pantomime, and I would have enjoyed seeing more of them and having their backstories developed further.

Image shows lots of colourful show lights and smoke with dancers in clown costume dancing behind Gertie Goose (Anthony Stuart-Hicks

It wouldn’t be a pantomime review from me without giving special mention to Anthony Stuart-Hicks and Dale Superville!

This year marks ten years at The Mercury Theatre, and this pantomime truly feels like a celebration of their time here. Even if it hadn’t been planned that way, you can tell that the show was written with them in mind. There was a huge roar every time they came on stage — and rightly so! Their comic timing, laugh-out-loud jokes and undeniable chemistry have been the beating heart of The Mercury’s pantomimes, year after year. They are exactly what pantomime should be. They’ve helped transform The Mercury’s pantomime from a much-loved local tradition into a national player within theatre and pantomime circles. They are the reason I, my family and so many others return to The Mercury year after year. They are the sole reason the pantomime is as successful as it is — and will continue to be for years to come.

Making this year a celebration of the pair was absolutely the right decision. I always worry each year might be their last together! To Ash and Dale — as I’ve said, you are the beating heart of this pantomime and The Mercury itself. It simply wouldn’t be the same, nor would Christmas, without you.

I genuinely can’t give the two of them enough praise without repeating everything I’ve said in previous years. They are pantomime gold.

Image shows a close of Gertie Goose (Anthony Stuart-Hicks in full make up and wear a circus tent inspired dress! With a small tent top on her head!
Billy the goose (Dale Superville) wear a white bowler hat with a feather in it. He is always wearing a white feather like jacket with wings and white gloves. While also wear orange tights and orange sneakers.

Accessibility Rating

If you have little to no vision:
Yes, you will miss out on some of the visual magic, but in terms of enjoying the story, songs and comedy (even without Audio Description), you can absolutely still have a great time. You will miss some physical comedy gags, though the show works hard to keep these to a minimum. Audio Described performances and Touch Tours are available, and if you can’t get tickets for those, don’t be disheartened — you’ll still have an absolutely brilliant evening out.

Limited or Useful Vision:
As mentioned above, there is a lot of lighting, glitter and reflective effects. Pyrotechnics are used a few times and can be bright, but they’re not prolonged — with the exception of the ‘beauty’ scene, where the lighting stays bright slightly longer than expected.

For seating, I suggest Row E or closer. But be warned: if you choose the front row, you’re in for a completely unique experience!

“Mother Goose” is running at The Mercury Theatre from 22nd November 2025 until 18th January 2026. Ticket information and further details can be found by clicking the link here — but hurry, tickets are selling fast!

Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year!
Until Next Year!

The VI Critic

Accessibility Review of ‘Lost Atoms’ Written By Anna Jordan

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Hi everyone and welcome to another review!

We are definitely on the build-up to the festive season and my favourite time of year — pantomime season! However, before that magical time, I got to see a show that was very deep and probably very real to some people.

I was kindly invited to The Mercury Theatre in Colchester to see Lost Atoms, written by Anna Jordan and starring Joe Layton and Hannah Sinclair Robinson!

The story follows Robbie, a struggling single man who one day meets a young woman in a coffee shop — Jess! The story then goes on to tell the tale of their relationship and all the ups and downs that go along with that, with a surprising twist that nobody was expecting.

This show touches on very difficult subjects — from grief and loss to miscarriage and the future that might come as a result. It definitely pulls at the audience’s heartstrings at times, but then comes back with laughable yet relatable “I’ve been there” moments. Both Joe and Hannah do an outstanding job from start to finish. The chemistry really comes across and shines. I loved the fact that they went from a younger couple to becoming more long-term just by the slight change in their voices and mannerisms.

The set design was interesting. It was just a simple light stripe in the centre of the stage in a square, with the same light going around the edge of the set, which consisted of multiple mini metal-looking drawers that would open, and the actors would climb onto them in many different ways. Even though I know the cast had practised this many times, I still had the “please don’t fall” thought in my head! The set also had a platform that rose and fell at many different points. This would take many forms depending on the scene — in one it could be a bed, in another a cliff’s edge, and at one point it even became the floor so the audience could have a “bird’s-eye view” of the actors from above, which was interesting to see.

This image depicts a striking theatrical scene set on a dark stage. At the center is a large vertical wall resembling an arrangement of square drawers or lockers, all painted in matte black. The wall is framed by vibrant neon lights outlining a rectangular structure, glowing with an electric blue hue, giving the scene a futuristic or dramatic aesthetic. Two individuals are interacting with the wall—one on the left and one on the right—seemingly climbing or suspended against it.

Props and action were very minimal, consisting only of a couple of armchairs and some photos. I would say ninety per cent of the story was told through dialogue, with a few scenes where sex was implied through dance and lighting. But in terms of storytelling, there was nothing you could miss. There were a few times when the lighting was at its brightest, which was a little blinding for me, but this was only at the end of the first and second acts, so there isn’t too much to worry about.

There are no dark scenes as such, but the lighting is minimal, so some may struggle due to the lack of it. However, the striped lighting mentioned before does change colour to show the mood of the characters at that time.

There are no access performances of any kind here during the run at The Mercury. It is a small run and is going on tour around the country, so I am hoping there will be some at other venues. But I would like the company to think about this, please, for future shows and projects, as this can make your shows appeal to more theatre lovers and make the show even more accessible.

If you have no vision, then I feel you do miss out on some small and tiny elements of this show, but nothing that takes away from the actual story itself. If you are someone who relies heavily on Audio Description, then I would suggest maybe taking a sighted companion with you to help with that. But honestly, the moments you are missing are small and minimal and don’t really add anything major to the story.

The image depicts an indoor scene with two individuals, one male and one female, interacting with a large metal filing cabinet structure that spans the background. The female, positioned on the right, has curly black hair and wears a sleeveless red top with tight dark jeans and sneakers. She is climbing the cabinet, holding onto it with one hand while looking intently in the direction of the male. The male, on the left, is dressed in dark pants, sneakers, and a striped jacket and is similarly interacting with the cabinet, appearing to be in a mid-climbing posture. His focus is directed downward toward an open drawer illuminated by a warm light emitting from inside. The filing cabinet itself is comprised of multiple small, square drawers in a matte black color, creating a geometric pattern. The overall environment is dimly lit, with focused lighting highlighting the characters and the intrigue of the open drawer, suggesting a mysterious or intense mood. The activity appears dynamic, with the characters engaged in an exploration or search, giving the scene a sense of urgency or curiosity. The atmosphere conveys suspense and collaboration, heightened by the interplay of shadows and light.

If you are someone with useful vision, because of the low use of lighting this might be a struggle for you. But the set is so simple that you aren’t missing anything here. I found the colours of the actors’ costumes were bright enough that I could tell who was who, but you may struggle in other scenes where there is no lighting on the actors and only the strip lighting is used. I would suggest sitting in Row D or E at The Mercury. Sadly, for other venues I can’t comment, but do speak to your box office staff and they should be able to advise.

I thoroughly enjoyed this show! It tackled some really hard topics but nothing that wasn’t realistic. Both Joe and Hannah did an amazing job, and you couldn’t help but feel for them many times. They had the audience hooked from the very start and carried on that way to the end. I would highly recommend giving this show a go. It’s definitely something different from the norm and will absolutely pull on your heartstrings at times. But it is an interesting and compelling story that has you wanting to find out what happens next!

Lost Atoms is running at The Mercury Theatre in Colchester from the 4th until the 8th of November 2025. I’ll leave a link here for more information. It is also touring around the rest of the UK, so if you are in another area, I’ll leave a link to the show’s website here!

Until next time,
The VI Critic