Humpty Dumpty and the Magic Wall

It is really refreshing to see a panto that I’ve never encountered before. The well-known nursery rhyme is just the start: Humpty Dumpty has been trapped inside a huge egg, balanced on the King’s wall and as long as it stays there, the evil witch Salmonella will be kept out of the kingdom and all will be well. Inevitably, lack of attention results in the egg falling and breaking, Humpty is set free and the evil witch reigns supreme, unless all the King’s men can put the egg back together again. It’s a familiar story but it’s a nice touch making Humpty evil. It was also fascinating to read the numerous theories about the origins of the rhyme in the entrance hall – some good research there.

As usual, the set builders and painters have done a great job realising designer Yvonne Clephan’s ideas, producing a really colourful and flexible set with large blocks that could be turned round and re-configured to change the scene – ingenious. The stage crew, led by SM Jeremy Clephan, ensured all the scene changes were really slick. Lighting (Charlie Holland) was perfect, creating different moods and the sound system (Roy Langford and Caroline Powell) did a great job boosting the singers’ voices so that the lively 3-piece band (so lovely to have a live band) didn’t drown them out. Actually, everyone, right down to the littlest voices, could be heard really clearly for the spoken words too. Costumes (Brenda Austin) were also bright and cheery and looked excellent quality, with the great wigs and makeup (so essential in panto) being the cherry on top.

Experienced Director Carol Sealey has guided this panto with a sure hand, starting with an excellent script – a real groan-a-minute piece, with more egg puns than you ever thought possible. This was complimented by a strong cast, and it was good to see so many youngsters involved, giving really strong and confident performances. Choreographer Caroline Powell has drilled the cast well, filling the stage with movement and interest.

Nicky Cresswell as Fairy Soufflé welcomed us to the show with traditional rhyming lines and some impressive pyrotechnics. She was pitted against evil witch Salmonella, who Emily Singleton made nicely threatening and scheming, relishing the boo’s she generated (fab shoes too!) She sang some difficult songs really beautifully. Stanley Sealey made a great sidekick as Humpty, always trying to out-evil Salmonella and showing maturity in his acting and stage presence way beyond his years.

Liam Gray greatly impressed as Dame Minnie Meringue, with an excellent singing voice and great rapport with the audience – not an easy thing to do, especially for his first time. He was ably supported by Ria Gray as his sidekick Charlie Chuck, another great singer and a natural comic.

Dave Lee and Shuna Rose were nicely dithery as the King and Queen, and Lucy Williams was excellent as their daughter Princess Shelly. She was well matched by Molly Dyer as Prince Benedict, in good thigh-slapping form gallantly rescuing the Princess. Roger Minors’ experience showed in his wonderfully cod-French interpretation of Pierre Le Oeuff; Patric Howe was spot on as Sergeant Eggyolk, berating his troops with more than a strong hint of Windsor Davies, and Mike Clay bumbled perfectly as his incompetent sidekick Corporal Eggwhite (yes, there really was no end to the egg references!)

Emily Evans, Poppy Burrows, Anoushka Lee, Zoe Hadfield and Molly Foster were all brilliant as Miss Muffet, Jack and Jill, Flora and Boris the Spider, acting well and speaking clearly and confidently. Just a minute – how could I forget Barnaby Lee? He made The Mouse such a cute and endearing character, especially when his tail got caught in the trap (lovely touch with the bandage at the end too). Biggest ‘aaah’ from the audience in the show – well done! Great support was given by James Roberts as Colin Coddle and Rob Stead as Swampy, as well as the numerous soldiers, courtiers and the very scary Spider Army. Not forgetting the Pop Band, Zoe, Molly, Siena and Eva who danced and sang so well.

What a great way to spend a wet afternoon – it was full of fun and laughter and everything you could wish from a truly traditional family pantomime.

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