Puss in Boots, the Brussels panto with a Spanish twist

Pantomime is returning to Brussels this season, with the English Comedy Club’s (ECC) production of Puss in Boots at the Auderghem Cultural Centre from 30 January to 1 February.

Alongside all the usual glitz and glitter, show-stopping song and dance numbers and terrible jokes, this year’s panto also has a distinctly Hispanic flavour, though not for the reason most people might think.

It was a love of Spanish dancing that inspired the show’s director and chief choreographer Hannah Riley to give the show its Latin feel.

“I’ve been dancing flamenco in Brussels for many years and I have always loved the theatricality of Spanish dances,” she says. “And since most audiences these days think of Puss in Boots as a Spanish speaking sword-fighting cat thanks to the movies, it just made sense.”

With some well-known songs from Latino artists and a very clear flamenco influence to the choreography, audiences are in for a real treat, says Rafael Plata, the Spanish actor playing the lead role of Puss.

“I’ve been acting in Spanish and English-language shows in Brussels for a long time, but I’d never been in a panto, so this was the perfect opportunity for me to get involved. And it’s been great to see a few flamenco moves woven into the usual panto choreography,” he adds.

Puss in Boots is the 12th panto from the ECC since the club revived the tradition in Brussels in 2013. Each show comes with an original script from by a team of writers, and each has the usual array of panto characters from Dame and comic to principal boy and girl. Like most pantos in the UK or Ireland, the Brussels version also has many local references, gently poking fun at the city, the European Institutions and the country as a whole.

“We always have comical Flemish and Walloon characters in our pantos, but this year we’ve gone even further with a Brussels character as well, reflecting the international flavour of the show, but also of the cast and crew,” says Riley. “There is such a vibrant amateur theatre scene in Brussels with people from all over the world wanting to perform in English, so it’s always really fun to see people getting involved who may never have seen a panto in their life before.”

This was the case for Belgian Paulien De Cloedt, who plays the show’s principal girl Daisy. “Pantomime for me meant something without words, not this amazing singing, dancing and laughing spectacular,” she says. “I was so happy to get a part in Cinderella last year and again this year, and to get my Flemish family and friends into panto. I even managed to get a couple of Flemish jokes into the panto – it’s really a team effort and everyone gets a chance to contribute.”

With a dozen different countries represented among the cast, chorus and crew, Puss in Boots is a truly international show, as befits such a cosmopolitan place as Brussels.

“I like that this most British of institutions, one that is almost unheard of anywhere else, has such a strong following here in Brussels,” says Riley, who grew up with the panto tradition in her native Edinburgh.

“There is so much for everyone in a panto; even if your English isn’t perfect, you can still have a fun time laughing at the silly visual jokes or enjoying the songs and dances. That’s what makes it so perfect for a place like Brussels.”

Tickets are €22 for adults and €16 for children or for family/group bookings.

Puss in Boots
30 January to 1 February
Auderghem Cultural Centre
Boulevard du Souverain 183
Brussels