Humpty Dumpty

Friday 18th January, the evening Christmas returned to Whitley Bay in the form of a traffic crunching snow storm with ice on the side.  So, a perfect night for a pantomime, albeit three weeks after Christmas.  I have to say ‘Humpty Dumpty' belied the weather outside.  It was an enjoyable, colourful production, written and directed by Jeff Waite who was helped immeasurably by the bright costumes provided by Alan Graham and the enthusiastic cast including about 22 children.

Sadly, due to weather, the audience only totalled roughly 100 but they were mostly children who whole-heartedly embraced the spirit of pantomime and Christmas.  I’m a sucker for Christmas songs, who feels miserable every year when clearing away an ever-increasing collection of Christmas CDs.  So I was transported when the first act closed with 3, count them 3, Christmas songs.  The children were, however, more impressed by a song about a wiggly worm which they entered into with unabashed glee.  In fact, I looked away from the stage towards the happy children, faces aglow, arms in the air, doing all the actions with great gusto.

The plot, if anyone is interested, seems to owe a lot to The Wizard of Oz as Humpty Dumpty (Jamie Moore) and his friends seek to find Molock the Wizard (Steven Thompson) in Snowland to save their homes in Littlesville from the Wicked Witch (Joan Purvis).  Jamie quickly established a traditional panto rapport with the children (and quite a few adults) who happily responded to every cue with the usual responses.  My favourite panto moments occur when the audience response is from an individual audience member which receives a quick, amusing response from the stage.  Jamie fielded quite a few of those with considerable style.

The songs linking the bits of business were, for the most part, familiar and usually appropriate to the plot. Perry Wright and David Linsdell, as Court Jesters called Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dim, helped Jamie keep the action moving.  There was even a Principal Boy, Hailey Eastlake, in the form of Prince Jack, who was allowed to get her legs out.  One particular voice stood out for me.  Shaunagh Kelly, playing Princess Nina, demonstrated a very nice way with a song despite having (if memory serves) only a song and a half at her disposal.

So, all in all, a bright, colourful and enjoyable pantomime to carry its audience along in true panto style.  Oh, and yes, I managed to get home safely through the thickening snow and slush!

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