Review: Homo Alone (The Other Palace Studio)

Review by Daz Gale

⭐️⭐️⭐️

A new festive tradition has been entertaining audiences at The Other Palace for two years now, as their adult panto returns for a third year. Following previous outings Ghosted: Another F***ing Christmas Carol and last year’s A Very Very Bad Cinderella, this year’s offering for those who prefer something more blue at Christmas is Homo Alone. Would this parody steal the hearts of those watching or should it have been left alone?

Based on Home Alone, the classic Christmas movie from 1990, Homo Alone takes the essence of the story and puts its own comedic twist on it, bringing a whole new meaning to the phrase “make the yuletide gay”. Parents of the year Kate and Peter McCallister are on the flight to Paris for their Christmas holiday when they realise they forgot their child meaning Kevin is home… alone. In their defence, it’s a very easy mistake to make. What makes matters worse is the fact two burglars are planning to break in to Kevin’s house. Add in a creepy neighbour and a young boy figuring out his sexuality (though I must add the two aren’t connected) and you have the premise for Homo Alone. Can Kevin save his family home and discover the true meaning of family? Well, it’s not that deep but you get the idea.

Don’t expect any hidden meaning in this production – the object of Homo Alone is to make you laugh with the only tears you will be shedding from laughter alone. This show isn’t so much heart-warming as it is knob-warming. I’m of course referring  to the iconic moment in the original film (replicated in this show) involving a hot doorknob. What did you think I meant? Jodie Prenger and Bobby Delaney have united to write something camp, chaotic and Christmassy and have done a pretty great job in doing so. It might not be the most sophisticated humour in the world but it is unashamedly silly, creating a world of joy from its irreverent take on the original story.

With a show such as this, it’s probably not worth delving too deep as it is far more enjoyable to enjoy the madness of it all, and measure the success for how much it made me laugh. The hit rate of jokes is pretty impressive, with the best use of the recent “holding space” viral sensation I have seen in the theatre this month (Ok, it’s only been 2 shows but this is still the best). A smattering of Christmas songs feature, albeit with changed lyrics including a parody of ‘What Christmas Means To Me’ and the Home Alone theme song with new added lyrics. Also included but refreshingly unchanged is the fabulous ‘All Alone On Christmas’ (originally in Home Alone 2 but we can look past that) making for a fitting finale.

Not everything lands – the jokes about Kevin (Elliott Evans) being very tall for an 8 year old makes a highly sexualised scene later on a bit creepy and inappropriate… though still riotously funny in itself. The choice to have Kevin’s mum Kate impersonate Moira Rose from Schitt’s Creek (Catherine O’Hara played both if you’re unsure of the connection) feels very much like an obvious gag and low-hanging fruit that does get a bit overdone though always elicits a laugh with her unique pronunciations of words. While it would be fair to say less can sometimes be more, that’s probably not in keeping with a show such as this. A bizarre scene featuring Celine Dion is a rare misfire in the show, though the excellent cast make the most of it, still making it more enjoyable than the material would otherwise allow – though the resulting parody of ‘Tell Him’ ranks among the most bizarre things I have seen in the theatre this year… and I’ve seen Opening Night.

For a space as small as The Other Palace Studio, Alex Jackson’s ambitious direction is far grander than you would expect for the limited stage, delighting with its capabilities, even with tongue in cheek references to the prop budget. The key sequence where Kevin defends his house from the burglars is brilliant in its creativity, recreating moments from the movie in innovative and hilarious ways – though my only complaint is this flew past too quickly and I would have loved it to go on for a bit longer. Equally impressive is Dale White’s choreography bringing the production value of Homo Alone higher than you might usually see in the Studio space.

You should be warned that there is a part of audience participation and if you’re stupid enough to sit in the front row like I was, don’t be surprised when Kevin hands you a bag of feathers and demands you throw it at the burglar’s faces. Not that I’m biased at all, I delivered what I widely consider to be the greatest performance involving throwing feathers at cast members that has ever been seen at The Other Palace Studio – a bold claim I know (though I can’t say for sure how it goes down at other performances) and am now looking to pursue a career in feather throwing at burglars.

Elliott Evans steps into Macauley Culkin’s shoes to give his best Kevin, wowing with his impressive talents. Having recently been seen in Back To The Future, Evans proves himself to be true leading man material in an accomplished performance, far grander than you would expect from such an intimate space. With great comic timing and a sensational singing voice, his performance is undoubtedly the best thing about Homo Alone, though I’m not entirely convinced about his versatility to go from an 8 year old to an 80 year old, but not many can pull that off, to be fair.

Allie Dart and Jack North play a variety of roles including Kevin’s parents Kate and Peter. While I must admit getting tired of the Moira Rose impersonation after a while, that doesn’t take away from how fantastic and hilarious both performers were consistently throughout, with North incredibly charismatic as Kevin’s rather out-there father with a secret that may just come out. Both Dart and North double up their performances as Harry and Marv, creating a laugh-out-loud double act, with North also standing out as the creepy neighbour whose props just wouldn’t behave themselves. The cast is completed by Steph Asamoah taking on roles including bullying brother Buzz and, erm… Celine Dion. It is her turn as airport worker Francois that proves to be the most memorable with a ridiculously over the top characterisation leading to some of the funniest moments of the show.

If you are sick to death of family friendly shows this year and long to hear a character belt out a four letter word instead, Homo Alone is the show for you. Though it is not without its faults, it is still highly entertaining and the perfect tonic if you are looking for a funny show to escape from the cold and warm your knobs to. Worth seeing for its sensational cast alone, I’d be interested to see if they make a Homo Alone 2 next year – though if they do, let’s hope Donald Trump doesn’t appear in it. Merry Christmas ya filthy animals!

Homo Alone plays at The Other Palace Studio until 5th January 2025

Tickets available here

Photos by Mark Senior