Happy Ever After

HAPPY EVER AFTER by Chris Egan is a feelgood panto from start to finish.  From the opening song ‘Dancing on the ceiling’ to the closing rousing finale and everything in between is sheer delight.   This panto has not only Princess Aurora, Snow White and Cinderella but also younger versions of them!    It’s a time travelling tale involving a stolen wand, a couple of baddies, the usual audience friend – in the guise of the narrator – Loot, a delightful junior chorus and a pantomime cow.

The sets were good and well represented the setting.   There was a nice humorous touch with the use of signs depicting a different location when it was obviously the same piece of set!    The action moved from the woods (with cottage garden), A woodland glade, the Caverns beneath the Forbidden Mountain and the Tunnel of Time.  The props were minimal but crucial to the action, such as the wand and the glass orb that allowed communication. 

The costumes were fantastic; colourful , vibrant and of the highest quality with great attention to detail from the Demon’s red to Maleficent’s all black ensemble and the junior and senior Princess and Queen’s dresses. The King’s costume was suitably regal, Loot’s in keeping with the story as were Robin Hood, Friar Tuck, Jack, Alan A Dale, Scrit and Scrat.  It was evident a lot of thought and hard work had gone into all costumes.

The lighting was effective throughout and well controlled with green used effectively for Maleficent’s arrival and red for the arrival of the demon, along with the thunderous crash!

There were many memorable moments.  This was a panto with heart, upbeat choreography, lots of dry wit and humour on two levels (for adults and children).   There was much to love; so many favourite moments for me, not least ‘Always Look on the Bright Side’, ‘Another One Bites the Dust’, the children’s chorus, especially as the woodland animals and the appearance and performance of Daisy! Memorable highlights for me: The ‘audience’s friend’ delightfully played by Natasha Gwilliam as Loot and the caustically dry and hugely charismatic Charles Church as Maleficent.   Michael Quicke as Officious switched easily from scheming to overtake the kingdom to sleazy creep as Maleficent took charge.  

Congratulations to Vicky Rodd who drew polished performances from the hugely talented cast of all ages.   This was a production where the creative and support team worked seamlessly with those on the stage.    Well done to all at MVG – another winner and another occasion when the audience went home smiling.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.