Cinderella

'Cinderella' was my last official NODA visit of 2017 and what an enjoyable way to complete a busy year!

This pantomime must be the most popular and well-known of them all - Garforth made sure it remained so. There were two new faces on the production team - Joanne Jackson, a principal with the group for many years, moved into the Director's chair with ease and flair. She has proved herself more than capable to produce a show to be proud of. Richard Sharp has taken over as Musical Director and brought with him some modern tunes for the cast to perform. The principals of all ages, made the most of their roles - particularly the Ugly Sisters, whose outrageous costumes brought laughter from the audience. The choreography, by Lynne Hill, fitted in well with the style of the show, on this small stage. The original script, by Alan P. Frayn, was at times a little wordy and old-fashioned by today's standards, but the cast made the most of the jokes and the 'business' delightfully. Well done also to the two young men performing as 'Hogan the Horse', not an easy task!!

The sets were pretty and built to fit perfectly on the stage - the costumes were also correct, especially Cinderella's ball-gown, which was beautiful. The make-up team had done a very good job on the cast! Brenda Knowles was the pianist (it may be an idea to mike the piano, it did seem very quiet) and Ben Stone was the drummer. Garforth's shows are always a team effort and I always think this is the core of Amateur Theatre - from stage to front-of-house, everyone had worked tirelessly to please their audience. I just want to say to the younger principals - don't hold back, be bolder in your performance - it's all there, just be bigger and louder - that's what pantomime is all about! I know it will all come with experience - just watch the adult actors for a few tips! I very much enjoyed my evening, especially as I sat in the middle of the 6th Garforth Brownies - judging by their laughter and whoops of delight, you did everything right, it was great fun! 

Congratulations to you all!!

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