Hickory Dickory Dock

Hickory Dickory Dock

Lyme Regis Pantomime Society

Written by Norman Robbins

Produce & Directed by Sarah Causley

Musical Director: Harvey Causley

Choreography: Amanda Rattenbury-Davies & Sarah Causley

The Woodmeads Halls, Lyme Regis

Wednesday 19th February 2020

‘Tricia Barclay

NODA SW Representative District 6

 

This was certainly a pantomime with a difference with a large cast of youngsters and adults who threw themselves into the action with energy and enthusiasm!

The story followed the misfortunes of Dame Foxtrot and her daughter Mary as they tried to keep house and home together and save their Grandfather Clock from the clutches of greedy Baron Hickory and the wicked Wizard of Bong, taking them on an adventure to Never-Never Land and the bottom of the sea!

The curtains opened to a striking village set with atmospheric and effective lighting, the villagers in co-ordinated costumes, some even with sparkly hands, and this standard was maintained throughout the production.

All the traditional panto characters were on stage, and it was good to see young people in principal roles, well supported by some more “seasoned” performers.

 The Dame and Willie Winkle worked well together and quickly established a good rapport with the audience, with the Dame’s gentle Scottish lilt easy on the ear. Their “up tempo” rendition of I Remember it Well was superb!

Two young performers, just in their first year at Secondary School, played the roles of Slap and Tickle with confidence and a natural sense of fun, and had the audience on their side from the start.

The principal boy and girl danced and sang well together and were played sincerely, David’s “Indiana Jones” type costume depicting an adventurer, but perhaps he could have lost the hat at times.

The experience of Baron Hickory was very evident, and he was well accompanied by a “complaining” spouse and another young performer as his son Herbert, who suffered good humouredly all through as the butt of everyone’s jokes!

The opening of Act II was particularly striking and well performed by the Wizard and his entourage.

All the Fairies were wonderful, and the short ballet sequence hilarious with their “double-jointed” legs, cleverly manipulated by the back-stage team.

This was a refreshingly different production with lots of clever effects, and the added “extras” filmed around Lyme and projected on to the front gauze made for great fun. The scene when Slap and Tickle captured the enormous clock escaping through the auditorium with a smaller replica, and their adventures around the town relayed on film was a gem!

The underwater UV scene although very effective may have benefitted by being set a little more upstage.

It was obvious that a lot of dedicated hard work and rehearsal time had gone into this production and for the most part the pace was good, on occasion though some dialogue was delivered rather too quickly and the meaning of the lines not clearly conveyed. The running time was also a bit overlong. On reflection maybe some songs could have been shortened, the final number was possibly just one too many, and perhaps not all the song and dance numbers were totally necessary to the action, although the choreography was excellent.

The costumes were all of a very high standard and had been carefully co-ordinated, with everyone donning a colourful sequinned ensemble for the eye-catching finale.

Overall this was a hugely enjoyable and well-presented production, superbly supported by a live band, and was extremely warmly received by the first night audience. Oh yes it was!

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