Frankenstein: The Panto

PLEASE NOTE:

Any observation made by the reviewer can only be based on what he sees at the performance in question.  The reviewer may have received information in advance of the performance, and it is inevitable that his assessment will be effected by that knowledge.

The N.O.D.A. Representative’s intention is to give an objective critique of the overall production and in particular the performance viewed.  It should be remembered that any review of this nature can only be objective as far as the techniques used during the performance observed.  Any criticisms expressed may not have been valid at other performances, and are only made to encourage higher standards in Amateur Theatre.

It is hoped that the audience’s appreciation of your efforts will have given everyone a lift and encouraged you to greater achievements in the future and that the observations made by the reviewer will prove helpful in improving future productions.

Report by Angus Sheppard-Hughes SW Regional Representative District 16

WBLOS is always a very inclusive environment where each member of the society appears to have the same ethos as each other which, simply put, is to be generous to your cast members, be open with each other and to be kind. It never fails to amaze me the level of professionalism is on that stage every single time I watch another show. And this was no exception as I not only felt included as part of the audience into the ethos of the society, but I was also entertained with witty puns, comedic acting and brilliantly tuneful songs.

The Direction was done well with everybody’s capabilities taken into consideration as well as the size of the stage and size of the cast. It is a difficult decision when it comes to set for the stage, as if there is too much then you can’t fit as many people on, or if it is too little then it may look bare. I found there were some moments when there was too much on stage, such as the pub scene at the beginning where you had a majority of the cast on stage, with chairs and tables and other set dressings, plus doing a dance to master of the house. So looking at fine tuning the details for big company numbers could be advisable for the next years panto performance.

The Choreography was again very fitting to the cast’s abilities in dance and movement and the use of dancers in scenes were brilliant. I have 3 ticks next to the dancers from my notes whilst I was watching the show, and I sometimes I get home and think about whether or not it was that good, but I fully stand by my original thought, the dancers were truly a wonder to watch and added a great detail to the show.

The music was also done well, and having a drummer to give the beats for some songs, and for the joke stings was a great addition. There were times when I wasn’t able to hear the music and the singers looked as though they couldn’t either but not having mics and having to project is a tough job to juggle, so for the space we were in you all did remarkably well.

Frankie was not your generic panto hero/damsel in distress/villain/sidekick stock character, oh no, they were almost every single one of these combined. A bit like…well…a bit like Frankenstein! You had amazing energy from the beginning, your confidence inspired others around you and brought out the best in everybody. You started off like a compere in the first act, giving the plot a bit of pace, and ended up being the plot in the second act! You did an amazing job, and you are a natural at panto!

Heidi, you had a great voice, and you are obviously a great singer. At some points you seemed a little timid in your projection, but I believed this was a nerves thing which with time you would become excellent by the next performance. You did a great job and you should be so happy with your performance.

The Prince, you came on strong with your big booming voice and your posture holding yourself like a prince. You had a great relationship with Heidi and although you were easily persuaded (or hypnotised) your love never truly swayed. All I can say to round it off is…KNICKERS?!

Dracula and Granula, when I read the names in the programme, I honestly thought Granula was Granola! So, what a surprise it was when I didn’t see a person playing cereal on stage. Your duet of a Bat out of Hell was inspired and the dancers did a great job around you on your stand mics, but seeing a vampire sing it was not on my bingo sheet for 2025, hilarious though it was. You both had very pronounced first appearances, Dracula was a snivelling son and Granula was clearly an overbearing granny. What could possibly go wrong!

Kodak, my favourite character (sorry everybody else!) you had energy for everybody and were incredibly animated. You made every person in the audience feel for you when you were captured, and each time someone was in danger (even when we weren’t supposed to) we all whistled for you. You made the audience and Frankie feel safe. You are one top dog!

Miss Nelly and her School Girls were a bunch of St Trinian type naughty schoolgirls and their headmistress. Miss Nelly’s dame character had the appropriately flamboyant and camp dresses on as expected. My only note would be to take your time on the jokes, you are allowed to breathe between them and when you do this the audience is allowed time to take the jokes in and laugh, plus you had the most/best of them so try it out next time you take on a part like this and let the audience sit in the pun/joke for a couple of seconds and you will be unstoppable. The naughty schoolgirl character, where the irony was not lost on me for the mature wiser very clearly young women playing the characters. Like Miss Nelly, you had some great jokes that were funny, but give the joke a bit of room and the audience will love it even more.

Herr & Frau Pumpernickel, Professor Crackpot and Buckles were supporting characters who all have a place in Frankie’s, Heidi’s and The Princes lives. I thoroughly enjoyed Herr Pumpernickel continued to try and put his fake tash back on every time it fell off, even though it was very clear it did not want to stay on his face. Frau had the very same attitudes as Madame Thénardier from Les Mis and had the sleazy husband to boot. Buckles was an excellent sidekick to Prince Ludwig and had some of my favourite moments of audience participation, during the blockbusters gameshow, out of any panto’s I have seen this panto season. I don’t know whether the messing up of signs was scripted, but even if it was, it was HILARIOUS! And lastly, Professor Crackpot, who was obviously a nod to Caratacus Potts from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Doc from Back to the Future and Einstein. Your accent, clothes and general being was a joy to watch, and you had some of my favourite moments in the show such as the shadow scene with Frankie and Miss Nelly. What classic comic genius which could have easily gone wrong, but was just delightful!

The chorus and Ensemble were, as usual, tremendous and really held the show together giving little glimpses into the lives of those living in this universe. Every one of you did a great job acting at all moments and you were a very bustling and busy ensemble, so you did a great job!

Thank you all so much for inviting me and I cannot wait to see what you do next!

These comments solely reflect the view of the representative and can only relate to the performance seen.

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