Cleopatra Gets The Needle!

This pantomime is written for over 16's and was naughtily comical throughout. The shows story revolves around the Roman Empire taking over the world and some local people get caught up in the crossfire, were captured and sent across to Rome to be used as slaves. A plot to overturn Ceaser firstly involved conjuring up a huge storm, hoping to overturn the boat and drown Caesar and the slaves. This didn’t quite turn out as planned and the slaves become esteemed people in the society. The magic that is used throughout carries on with this theme of not going according to plan, especially when a love potion is drunk by the wrong people. In the end happiness prevails and as with many good pantomimes the story ends with a wedding. This show had all the key elements of a pantomime with a dame, a love story and the over arching story line of good conquering evil, with many added farcical moments on the way. The scare scene was also used to good effect with a mummy scaring all the characters away until it was faced with the dame.
 
It is easy for an ‘adult’ show to become offensive and take things too far, but we are happy to say this production never did cross that line. It was crammed full of innuendo, which left the audience to think as far or as little into the story as they wished. The classy direction of this production emphasised the comedy elements and used the stage and space available extremely well. The use of nearby place names, colloquial words and local accents were appreciated by many members of the audience.

The start of the show was slow with a few initial lighting hiccups and the use of an odd prompt. The show soon settled down along with the cast and progressed at a steady pace. There were good characterisations which were maintained throughout the show. There were also some cast members playing multiple roles which showed their adaptability.

The set was simple and the small stage area had limited space, but this was used to its optimum and they managed to create different scenes throughout the show. There was a good array of costumes which had the classic pantomime look about them.

Our favourite scene was when we first met Cleopatra and she got undressed behind a screen and then got into a bath. The male characters stated that the only way for their request to be granted would be for her to stand up out of the bath. After some hesitation she agreed, but much to the disappointment of the male cast and some audience members they didn't get the exposure of flesh they expected.

Overall this was an entertaining evening, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended. The society should be really happy with what they can achieve in a small venue. This show was traditional community entertainment and we wish the society well for 2015.

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