Babes in the Wood

In one of the quaintest theatres in the North East of England,  Spennymoor Youth Theatre Group performed Babes in the Wood, produced and Directed by Ian Patterson and Louise Defty this well-known pantomime lived up to all expectations performed by a group of very talented youngsters. This pantomime was filled with great musical interludes and feel-good humour and it was great to see how the audience interacted throughout. The lighting and sound were good and I loved the scenery which certainly enhanced the visual performance as did the costumes which were colourful and eye catching.

On stage we had a mixture of experience and talent, led by Ian Patterson as the Nurse, this is the first time that I have seen Ian as a Dame and I am sure it want be the last, he had great interaction with the audience and demonstrated many virtues and qualities I loved the OTT costumes each larger and grander than the next. Comic capers and general buffoonery were provided by henchmen Slippery Sam played by Freya Graham, fantastic stage presence and Denise the Menace played by Chloe Thompson they both worked well together as a team demonstrating excellent comic timing and rapport with the audience. Their employer the evil Sheriff of Nottingham was confidently played by Charlie Jackson who dominated the stage whenever she was present creating lots of boos and hisses some great acting from this young actress.  The role of Robin Hood was played by Megan Defty again good stage presence and delivered her musical numbers well. Alongside Robin was his band of merry men who brought more fun to the show, a very strong performance from George Morgan-Watson as Friar Tuck, funny vibrant and energetic he delivered his character with great personality. The role of Little John was equally played by Annys Rogerson with again some good acting coming through. There were good performances from Skye Monaham as Will Scarlett, Emma Belshaw as Mutch the Millar’s son and Charlie Hobson as Roger lightfoot. One of the key ingredients in a pantomime is energy, and Zac Greenman as Simon the Pie man had this in abundance - great diction and stage presence - loved this character and he delivered his musical number well. The role of Maid Marian was played by Heidi Angstmann with some lovely acting coming through as she worked well with the babes Tommy played by Holly Watson and Jane played by Isabelle Monahan. A special mention to Amy Lowes for her role as King Richard. There were plenty of action for those in cameo roles and the chorus with Chloe Armstrong as the Goblin, loved the mask, Patience Ritchie as the villager, Charlotte Robinson as Alfred Acorn, Barry Johnson as the ghost Claire Smith and Jayne Etherington as the Girls and Steph Monahan as the guard.

This was a cracking show, I loved the enthusiasm from the cast and it was obvious that a lot of hard work had gone into this show, which was well appreciated by the audience Well Done.

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