Camelot The Panto

Camelot - The Panto by Ben Crocker is set in Camelot – in a variety of locations from the castle, Merlin’s laboratory and, of course, The Enchanted Forest.  The townsfolk of Camelot are awaiting the arrival of Guinevere who is betrothed to the King’s son, Prince Arthur, but the baddies: Morgan Le Fey, Valerin and Valerin’s Mum, have other ideas!

The scenery and set were amazing and had been well crafted and were effectively used.  The transition between scenes was smooth.  The props were outstanding and the bed (which disappeared into the wall) deserves a special mention as do the tech crew for making it happen.  The set artwork was of the highest quality with great attention to detail.

The costumes were excellent.  All the costumes were in keeping with their characters.  The vibrant costumes (and wigs) of Dame Connie Clatterbottom were delightful.     

The lighting was effective and the special effects (such as the shadow effect for Garlon) were good.  The transformation of old Merlin to young Merlin was very cleverly achieved. 

There was much to enjoy in this pantomime.   The talent and enthusiasm of the performers was evident throughout.  The cast gave some strong and amusing performances and all the principals had great vitality.  There were some spirited performances especially from the characters: Morgan Le Fey (Jill Gillett), Valerin (Joe Williams) and Janice Garrard as Valerin’s mum.    Oli Wiliams (as Laughalot) had great rapport with the audience.  Keith Graham as Connie gave us plenty of laughs.  Claire Humphreys rendition of “My Brother” was sung with great gusto and confidence and was much enjoyed by audience members of a certain age.  Directed and produced by Brian Gillett and Tim Oliver, this panto had plenty of sparkle.  It was the first time I’d seen Camelot The Panto and I enjoyed it immensely.

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