Hansel and Gretel

St Cuthbert’s Amateur Dramatic Society kindly invited me to review their production of ‘Hansel and Gretel.’ This family friendly pantomime written and directed by Martyn Pugh, and loosely based a tale written by The Brothers Grimm, was energetic, colourful, and jolly funny. Hansel and Gretel lived in poverty in the town of Darwenburg, from there, they are taken into the woods by their stepmother, who would rather spend her money shopping than feed her stepchildren. Lost, alone, and hungry, they eat from a house made of candy and fall victim to an evil witch. As the witch fattens them up for her own meals, their trusty friends rush to the rescue.

Martyn had a wonderful sense of his target audience, the jokes running throughout catered for all ages. As well as Hansel and Gretel, we met other fairytale characters, a Dame, and her silly son, plus the forest dwelling Wicked Witch, and her inept minions. This pantomime was a riot of colour, foolish situations, and great comic timing from all involved. Chorus numbers were lively and included the youngest members of the society, who looked to be enjoying every moment. It was heartwarming to see so many smiling faces as they proudly came on for dance routines. Audience participation was encouraged, and the cast came out into the auditorium to hand out lollipops.

Musical Director, Matthew Thomas, and his band sat on a small rise to the rear of the auditorium. Music throughout was great, the audience often clapping along. I enjoyed ‘Pure Imagination,’ not only did it sound lovely, but it gave the youngest cast members a chance to shine as they danced around the stage. Songs were animated, well rehearsed, sung with enthusiasm and emotion. I particularly liked Griselda’s version of ‘Material Girl,’ the band and vocals mixed fabulously together.

Choreographers, Adele Walmsley, and Janet Grime had worked hard with their cast, the youngest members featured regularly in routines. The march of the gingerbread army looked fabulous, especially as the lights dimmed and the uv paint glowed, the giant gingerbread man at the rear of the stage was a brilliant touch. The whole ensemble smiled brightly during routines, each member giving their best. Well done all.

The town of Darwenburgh was brought to life by a whole team of set builders, painters, and innovative artists. It looked great. The audience were privy to the Village Square, the Eckerslike Bakery, the dark forests, and the witch's cottage. Inside the Eckerslike Bakery, produce was painted onto the backdrops in bold, bright colours. I loved the automatic sweet making machine, the levers all moved before it belched out lollipops. I thought the Wicked Witch’s cottage looked amazing. The outside covered in sweets and marshmallows, gooey chocolate, and candy canes. When the cast entered through the doorway, the set folded on a hing to reveal the inside of the cottage. Here we saw a giant oven used for the witch’s nefarious purposes and two cages, reserved for Hansel and Gretel. The complete set looked fabulous. Properties, including a mammoth sized Club biscuit, and decadent chocolate gateaux were made specifically for this production by Marie Masters. Marie and fellow props master Nick Reynolds did a splendid job dressing and supplying scenes with usable props. Costumes had been hand made by Janet Grime and her team. I absolutely loved the outfits; they were bright and bold. The Dame had some fabulous gowns, I thought the first doughnut themed dress and matching hat were excellent. The Lederhosen the Dame wore looked fantastic, the comedy of the braces slipping over her ‘lady bumps,’ was hilarious. Costumes looked amazing, throughout. I particularly liked the Lederhosen for the male characters, with matching dresses for female characters. A wonderful team effort from all involved. Stage makeup by Becky Waite looked perfect, and the custom-made wigs were excellent. All the leads wore microphones, dialogue, and vocals were clear, with no feedback or dropouts. Stage manager, Denham Robinson, ensured all production cues were prompt, his teams working smoothly together. Lights flooded the stage for several of the scenes, creating a happy atmosphere, green hues used during forest and Wicked Witch scenes. The uv scene was great, the outlines of the marauding gingerbread army clearly defined. The whole society pulled together to create a wonderfully engaging pantomime.

Charlotte Waite and Jessica Coupe played the titular roles of Hansel and Gretel Charlotte as Hansel was confident, with a solid stage presence. Her character was outgoing, fun loving and jocular. Jessica as Gretel was gentle in comparison, her portrayal was kind and sensible. These two actors worked well together, their combined characters bouncing off one another, their dialogue flowed naturally. They carried their leading roles admirably.

Jack and Jill were played by Jacob Hogg, and Charlie Etchells, respectively. They made the audience laugh aloud as they announced they were going up the hill, pail in hand. Later they appeared bruised and bandaged causing another loud laugh to erupt from the auditorium. Great comic performances from these two actors.

In the role of Silly Billy was Lu Etchells. Billy was the witless son of the Dame. Often the butt of jokes and foolish comments, Lu was hilarious, with great comedic timing and confidence. She did not miss a beat, her ability to ad-lib was impressive and jolly funny. This was an active role, requiring Lu to jump around, which she did with enthusiasm. The audience responded to her character’s antics with cheering and shouting out as the show progressed.

Jane Cordingley played Bo Peep wonderfully. Her costume, cap, and staff looked excellent. Coming on as a weeping, gentle shepherd, pleading with people to look out for her lost sheep, before turning to the audience with a cheeky grin and announcing she was a burglar and thief, I thought this was very funny and well executed. An unexpected turn around from gentle to mischievous. Jane was confident with excellent comedy timing.

Mr. Wolf also had a great character switch, he was a travelling sales associate, and extremely helpful to all around him. Rachel Brown played the kindhearted Mr Wolf with aplomb. With her trusty briefcase in hand, she was happy and comfortable throughout. A witty, well executed performance.

The poor, browbeaten Woodcutter was played by Logan Battersby-Cornell. The poor Woodcutter was stuck between appeasing his greedy glamorous wife and providing for his children. This was Logan’s first appearance on stage, and he was a joy to watch. His facial expressions were great, as he was torn between his wife and his children. His dialogue was clear and well delivered, he had bought into his character with confidence. Well done.

Bonnie Toward was met with a chorus of ‘Boo’ whenever she appeared on stage. As the selfish, greedy stepmother to Hansel and Gretel she was fabulously cruel. I loved the Darwenburg/Bavarian accent Bonnie employed, and that she kept it up throughout her song ‘Material Girl.’ The audience cheered loudly as her dirty deeds were exposed and she was arrested.

Nicolas Davis played the Wicked Witch. Eater of children and all-round bad egg, Nicolas was brilliant. Employing just the right amount of evil, often quite silly when dealing with the minions. I thought Nicolas’ accent was great, and his mannerisms spot on. I loved the costume and makeup, the candy covered wig was inspired. The witch’s comeuppance came as she was pushed into her own oven, reappearing sooty and scorched for the finale; fabulous.

Playing the witch’s minions, Sugar and Spice, were Amber Gibson and Ellie Tomlin. This comedy duo were hilarious. Both quite inept, but eager to please, these two actors had great chemistry. Their timing was impeccable, their jokes succinctly matched. I really enjoyed watching these two actors working together.

No pantomime would be successful without a strong Dame character. Martyn Pugh, as Dame Dolly Doughnut was marvelous. His posture, demeanour, and makeup were excellent. Martyn had a great stage presence, comfortably interacting with the audience when needed. Martyn was confident, friendly, and jolly funny. A full, rounded performance with excellent timing.

Frightening the cast as the Ghost, and then on for the Policeman, with the duty of arresting Griselda, was Aiden Fitzpatrick. Aiden was energetic and funny in these two small but no less significant roles. With appearances from Ellie Brindley, Gareth Rogers, Hannah Stokes, and Alfred Etchells as the villagers, comically and confidently delivering their lines. I particularly liked the introduction of Little Red Riding Hood, a nod to the SCADS 2025 production, I was informed that a different actor played the role each night, sharing the spotlight around, a lovely touch and a way to give fledgling actors a chance to shine.

I genuinely wish I could mention the ensemble individually, however, that is not possible. I would like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of everyone involved. Ensemble numbers were lively, and the smiling faces beamed with pride. Well done all.

I would like to thank St Cuthbert’s Amateur Dramatic Society for inviting me to their pantomime and the front of house team for the hospitality they provided for me and my plus one. We had a great evening. I hope to see many more productions from this society in the future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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