Hansel & Gretel

It’s panto season in District 8, with Congleton Pantomime out of the starting blocks with the first pantomime (and production) of the year. Directed by Mandi Dearing, this was a modern take on the traditional tale written by Congleton Pantomime’s very own Darren Brown. The script was full of jokes about the local area, which the audience appreciated, as well as some traditional panto elements, including a slapstick scene and the ghost scene. Mandi did well directing these, getting plenty of laughs in the right places. The direction as a whole was confident and assured. The pace was generally good, but there were some numbers where it slowed right down. The story needs to remain at the forefront with panto, and there were times in Act 1 where it felt a bit slow getting to the actual story, which meant that Act 2 seemed rather rushed. That being said, the Friday night audience definitely enjoyed the pantomime. The use of backcloths to denote each scene were good, with additional set being brought on to add to the scene. The set for the factory was particularly good with a working conveyer belt bringing on the treats. The conception of the S.M.U.T machine was good as well.

The musical director was Tim Sagar. There was something for everyone in terms of songs performed from The Beatles to Taylor Swift. Tim led the band well, with the company delivering excellent vocals.

The choreographer for ‘Hansel & Gretel’ was Liz Cardall. The choreography was good throughout and was delivered well by the entire cast. The dancers had their time to shine in a number of songs, with more challenging choreography which was performed well. It was good to see varied styles on stage.

The technical elements were well integrated within the show. The sound balance between cast and band was good – everything could be heard. Sound effects were used well throughout. Lighting was very good, with good use of colours and moving lights.

The costumes were fantastic! Full of sparkles, which is definitely needed for panto! The finale costumes were stunning. A huge well done to Rosie Astbury for her work with the costumes.

Becky Brady did well as Gretel. Although under-written, Becky certainly put her stamp on the character. Gretel was strong and fierce, caring for her family. Becky definitely put this across, and delivered excellent vocals throughout. It was just a shame that we didn’t get to see more of this talented performer.

Similarly, the character of Hansel was under-written as well. Kieran Picken put in a good performance with what he was given. The character of Hansel appeared to be the dim-witted brother of Gretel, and Kieran portrayed this well. Kieran’s vocals were strong, creating some good harmonies with Becky in ‘9-5’.

Rob Tagell donned the heels as Tilly Tuppence. Rob created a good relationship with the audience as soon as he appeared, coming through the auditorium. Rob led his numbers well, with a good vocal and performing the choreography with ease. If anything, Rob could have made his performance more over-the-top. Nevertheless, it was a good performance.

Andrew Bours (Boris Tuppence) and Sid Smith (Donald Tuppence) provided plenty of laughs as the comic duo. They worked well together, and did well delivering the comic routines. With names like Boris and Donald, it was clear there would be some references to their political namesakes. The audience were not disappointed with a sketch regarding party-gate. Very funny and well executed.

Sarah Oliver relished the boos as the villain, Mona Lott. Sarah had great interaction with the audience, and really got into the role as the baddie. Sarah has a pleasing vocal as well, which she was able to display in her number.

Charlotte Dean provided good support as the ever positive Sally Cinnamon. This was a pleasing performance from Charlotte, having a nice character arc in the production. Her number with the Junior Chorus was well performed.

Chris Froggatt and Sarah Shilcock made nice cameo appearances as Earl Grey and Lady Chamomile, Hansel and Gretel’s parents. They could have been more over-the-top with their characters, as they were played quite straight.

The Chorus provided good support to the principal characters, and performed the numbers well. Similarly, the Junior Chorus were confident on stage with what they were doing. They performed ‘Shake It Off’ well and looked like they loved it. The Dancers were very confident and delivered their choreography well. It was lovely to see their sense of fun, especially in the finale.

Overall, this was a good production. There were some excellent performances, wonderful costumes and a good selection of songs.

A big thank you to everyone at Congleton Pantomime for their kind invite and hospitality.

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