Aladdin

It is never anything less than an honour to be asked to review any NODA production, but this was the first time I had been asked to substitute for the wonderful Julie Petrucci. Being off my own patch I had expected to be travelling further than usual, but in truth, the thriving village of Hockwold was closer than some of my own Area 4 North locations. The group on show this night were H.A.T.S (Hockwold Amateur Theatrical Society) and it was their yearly pantomime, which saw a 2014 outing for Richard Gauntlett’s Aladdin.

Hockwold Community Centre turned out to be quite a grand affair and Julie had warned me that the entire set (Including the stage had to be moved in, assembled, and moved back out again after the run. This led me to expect a rather temporary affair which turned out to be a long way from the truth. The stage looked every inch (And there quite a few inches of it) a permanent fixture and the superb condition of the facade led me to believe that it had been completely refurbished for this production. It transpired that it is always completely re painted prior to any production. Impressive ! The scenery used during the production was also of a high standard and perfectly suited for the story. Front of house staff were plentiful, and all in black livery with HATS clearly marked which gave a very professional look to everything in the auditorium. The sound and lighting equipment was all tidy and I spent a good twenty minutes chatting to the society members on duty.

The story itself needs no retelling, least of all by me, and no sooner had the lights gone down and I was transported to Old Peking (Pekkin and Pekin in the program but I think they meant Peking). Costumes were stunning and I take off my hat (Pun intended) to the six named ladies of the sewing circle for what must have been hours of outstanding work. Complimentary makeup and hair were all fine, even if the male lead did have trouble keeping his in place (Ellnett, always a good stand by!) Lighting by Danielle Steen and Adam Flores was everything it should be and sound by Wayne Askew was flawless.

The chorus were not so big as to crowd the stage, and the six components of it, did a little choreography which was all the space really allowed. In the supporting roles there was a nice showing from Max Blake and Tom Bucknall as PC’s Ping and Pong supervised at all times by Denise Vaughan as Sargent Bang. I must say I laughed every time they came on with the blue lights on their headgear flashing wildly. It honestly never got tired ! Megan Askew was always in the right place as the Hand Maiden and Richard Brighton had plenty of stage presence as the Emperor. His opening gags relating to translation definitely hit the spot.

In the more prominent roles Mila Ottevanger did some good work as Princess Not-So-Shy and Sue Sander and Allison Forman make two half’s of an excellent Genie. Zak McGarry was all about as romantic lead Aladdin, never taking himself, or the production too seriously and superb Dominic Bunten worked tirelessly to bring an outstanding characterisation as evil Abanazar. There is truly nothing like a dame and Director Gary Sandler made an excellent job of Widow Twanky. A confident, relaxed style that carried the story along perfectly.

I always save the penultimate paragraph for the member of the cast that made the most impression on me and in this production it was wonderful Jill Enefer as comedy lead Wishee Washee. She was absolutely on top of every gag and just looked like she owned the stage. I did wish there had been a few more gags for her to work with, but all that were available hit the spot with an enthusiastic and good sized audience.

My sincere congratulations to Director Gary Sander for a tidy piece of direction, and a great family pantomime that was prompt free and great fun from start to finish. The Hockwold Amateur Theatrical Society made me so welcome. I was able to meet everyone during a complete tour of the facilities, as they began the long job of ripping it all down until next time. Thanks also to Julie P for the opportunity, these were such nice people and it reminded me what Am Dram is truly about and how important pantomime is in the development of a love of theatre. Incidentally I got sixteen in the spot the difference on the back of the program … were there any more ?

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