If hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, what fury hath a man dressed up as a woman, relegated to a basement dressing room because a reality TV star has replaced him at the top of the bill?
Philip Meeks found inspiration for this monologue in a poster for a pantomime in which the actor John Inman was playing second fiddle to someone from Big Brother. And so Harold Thropp was born: once the most feted dame on the circuit, now struggling to come to terms with the fact that he has more lines on his face than there are in this year's show.
There are times when Meeks slaps on the pathos a bit too thickly, yet the monologue shows a scholarly grasp of panto lore. The significance of pristine white gloves is explained ("the dame must always be clean"), as well as the importance of wearing two pairs of tights - it hides the package, while enhancing the sheen.
Yet Thropp's complaints already seem a little quaint. He bleats on about soap stars muscling in on his patch, when recent evidence suggests it is the incursion of legit actors such as Ian McKellen and Simon Callow that he really ought to be looking out for. As for his insistence that things aren't what they used to be, audience figures around the country suggest pantomime is the one aspect of regional theatre that is still in rude health.
However, you could hardly wish for better casting than Kenneth Alan Taylor - the doyen of the Nottingham Playhouse pantomime for the past 24 years. And though 90 minutes is a long time to be trapped in a windowless basement with an embittered old queen, Taylor gives a glimpse of the humanity behind a man who has come to find this cross-dressing business a bit of a drag.
· Until April 19. Box office: 01904 623568.
