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Cinderella

Author: Richard Fitt

Information

Date
3rd December 2022
Society
Gamlingay Players
Venue
The Eco Hub - Gamlingay
Type of Production
Pantomime
Director
Lauren Bachman
Musical Director
Steff Laugharne
Producer
Amy Lovat
Written By
Ben Crocker

I happened to be sitting in my doctor’s waiting room in Gamlingay yesterday when two people also waiting started a conversation, ‘I went to see the Players panto yesterday, very good, we had a great deal of fun, thoroughly enjoyed it.’ To which the other party concurred equally enthusiastically having seen it the day before. Well, I thought, I can’t really argue with that. It is what good pantos do, they brighten people’s day and bring communities together. Gamlingay Players certainly seem to hit that nail firmly on the head.

This year’s offering was Cinderella, directed by Lauren Bachman, and for the first time for a while it wasn’t a home written script but a bought in one by Ben Crocker, more or less sticking to the original story but of course with lots of twists, turns and plenty of jokes thrown in along the way.

First of all I should also note that very cleverly we had to enter the hall through a tent or gazebo, setting the scene of a village from panto land  which contained a table full of sweets and merchandise. Neat trick!

The stage at the Eco Hub, under the management of Jane Orchiston, designed by Gill and John Spall and with an additional crew of Clive Pattle and Will Zerny has to be built from scratch for each production and the result was extremely impressive for this one, with a full blown curtain set with various props and furniture to depict the 10 scenes which allowed for slick changes. Sometimes a simple sign such as To The Wild Wood or a table and free standing shelf unit to depict the kitchen, not to forget the bright coloured cloths hanging on the back wall for the masked ball. Very effective!

Sound in the Eco Hub is not the best acoustics for theatre use but David Masterson and Colin Carroll somehow got it pretty much spot on and it was surprisingly very sharp and crystal throughout. Nice job guys! And lights by Andrew Peters I never gave a second thought too, which means they were pretty much faultless lit and operated too. Perfect job!

The costumes by Gill Spaul and sourced from Harlequin were absolutely spot on for all characters, with the appropriate costumes for the dames, a superb Regency style outfit for Dandini and a glittering silver costume for the Fairy Godmother.

The make-up by Hannah Ginnetta and Bryony Montfort deserve a special mention. I can say without fear of contradiction that a pair of uglier sisters you are unlikely to meet. Their first appearance on stage brought a huge laugh from the audience. It was done so well and so comically. The impact was brilliant!

Steff Laugharne was our MD on his own with a keyboard, which worked very well indeed.

There were some superbly made props again by Gill and John Spall, and other members of the Players, - especially the gorgeous little carriage to take Cinders to the ball which wasn’t a lot bigger than the pumpkin it was ‘created’ from. Beautifully made!

Prince Charming himself, delightfully played by Rebecca Keeves with plenty of traditional thigh slapping was an excellent lead with a great sense of comic touch. Our Cinderella, Beth Parker was absolutely perfect as the demure, downtrodden Cinders. Knew exactly how to draw sympathy from the audience.

Hannah Ginnetta was our sparkling Fairy Godmother to brighten up our day. Whilst Craig Smoothy as Dandini was the epitome of smooth elegancy itself, especially when pretending to be the Prince. And Callum Masterson as Buttons was a lovely part with the gentile side of communicating with the audience, as opposed to our two dames,  Beryl and Cheryl played by Fred Hammett and Chris Martin who took absolutely no prisoners when it came to being totally over the top. Loved it. Bryony Mountford took on the non-speaking part of the mouse, in again a fabulous costume and was extremely good in the role drawing plenty of laughs just from her actions and expressions.  Dawn Torrance was the evil Baroness putting poor Cinders down and supporting the ugly sisters at every twist and turn. Loved the wig, very suitable to the character. Reg Osborne gave us a suitable Major Domo also playing the Tree and Graham Virgo and Colin Carrol were the two security guards. Finally the Bear played by Ian Parker was something else! That bear’s head was actually quite scary!!

And finally not to forget the lovely troop of villagers and dancers who went through their routines with some aplomb. Well done to Theo Peters, Ava Ginnetta, Rosie Philips, Rita Dawkins, Zola Kelly, Ali Hooper and Bella Larkman and The Alice Lucas School of Dance

If I were to knit pick and play Craig Revel-Horwood for a second I would say it could have done with a little bit more oomph in places, you can not go over the top in Panto! It would have given a little extra edge to the show. And perhaps a little bit more eye contact with the audience. But as I said that’s being ultra-critical.

So, it was indeed a great community event which seems to have been very well received indeed. Congratulation to Director Lauren Bachman and producer Amy Lovat for a very good afternoons entertainment.

 

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