DESTINATIONS BUTLIN’S FAMILY HOLIDAYS LEFT:
Chloe and Layla
RIGHT: Seaside
Apartment
Undercover section of Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway. It was a stroke of genius, setting the tone for what was to come and keeping the kids laughing in their seats. The show itself was a mixture of magic and slapstick that harked back to Mulhern’s roots as a redcoat in Minehead during the 1990s. It was perfectly pitched for the audience – I could tell by the giggling coming from my daughters, and every other child in the room for that matter. There were a few jokes in
there for the parents – I’d glance over at my kids to see if they’d understood, and be instantly relieved they hadn’t – but it was the parts of the show that played
Mulhern’s show was charming family entertainment that kept on coming
to younger members of the audience that really thrilled. From making redcoats appear and disappear, to audience participation tricks and a finale that saw a thrilled nine-year-old depart with a cuddly bear bigger than she was, it was charming family entertainment that kept on coming for a non-stop 60 minutes.
w ENTERTAINING EXTRAS Mulhern’s show was the big Sunday finale, but having been at Butlin’s since Friday afternoon, we’d had the chance to sample plenty more of the entertainment. The girls were particularly excited about the year-round pantomime Cinderella Rocks, after the high standard set by last year’s Whittington Rocks show. While it may lack some of the polished production of the theatre-based pantomimes that can be seen in the UK each Christmas, the show is full of fun, laughs and catchy song-and- dance numbers throughout. The star performer was
pantomime dame Baroness Hardrock, Cinderella’s wicked
stepmother, whose increasingly outrageous outfits and flirting with fellow holidaymaker ‘Bill’ in the front row kept the whole audience engaged. The pantomime finished at 8.45pm, with Little Mix tribute band Salute coming on stage at 9.30pm, but by that time, we had to head back to our apartment. Perhaps if they had been on a little earlier, both girls would have liked to have seen them. On Saturday evening, we
booked to see Gandeys Circus, whose red-and-white striped Big Top tent had been on display earlier in Sir Billy’s Fairground. It was the one piece of entertainment we paid extra to see, but at £7 per person, it was an affordable option and brought a little variety to our weekend. Leaning heavily on the popularity of last year’s hit film The Greatest Showman, the cast opened with a rousing rendition of ‘The Greatest Show’ before settling in to more traditional circus entertainment. From spectacular gymnastics,
BMX stunts and incredible juggling acts, Gandeys Circus provided a real wow factor, while the excellent Bippo the clown kept the audience smiling and singing throughout the show. The only disappointment was
LEFT: Gandeys Circus
44
travelweekly.co.uk 16 August 2018
that the hour-long show was over too quickly. The kids wanted more, and the acts were certainly good enough to be worth a second viewing.
PICTURE: ANDY PAYNE
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