Into the Pantoverse

Many thanks again for inviting me to attend a performance of your pantomime. I must admit though I was very intrigued when I saw the title, what was the tale and how do you create a Traditional Transdimensional Pantomime Adventure? Would it have any known characters in it? Was it set somewhere in a different universe? I waited with anticipation to find out.

It was great to see that you had lots of support on the night I visited with the hall being at least three quarters full. I was given a lovely welcome by new members of your team and the writer/director.

The stage was set with steps to the hall. There was a large television set up stage left with a flashing blue light on and a box with the Einstein’s Theory of Relativity on the front. There was also a yellow brick road which stretched from the stage through the seats to the back of the hall.

The backdrops and legs used during the performance all added to the scenes. We travelled from a village to the forest and the castle and finished with a black backdrop which was decorated with streamers and roses for the finale. The props used during the show were ideal and well used.

The lighting was provided by Fresnel’s and spotlights on a lighting bar at the front of the hall and the sound by two large speakers either side of the stage. Just one little point these have small blue lights on them which flash on and off during the performance and can draw the eye of the audience. I not sure if it would be possible to just place a little bit of black tape over them. Both the lighting and sound were well controlled from the back of the hall.

The songs used during the show were mainly 1980’s power ballads with occasional forays into other decades. Many of which were well known to the audience who sang along.

The choreographers created simple routines that contained lots of armography which the members of the cast had learnt successfully. I did feel a little confused about the end of the finale when the dance moves became more disco like and I’m not sure if the caterpillar dance added anything. The Thriller dance worked well with lots of iconic moves.

The members of the chorus were well dressed with costumes that were well fitting and added to the scenes and storyline. The chorus looked great in their 80’s outfits in the finale.

The first character we met was the Wizard of Oz who was attired in a suit, shirt and tie whilst in the scene and a rather oversized green jacket in the finale and addressed us through the television setting out the action. He became were animated when he broke through the fourth wall and interacted directly with the audience mentioning well-known modern-day people in the media such as Mark Zuckerburg. He popped up numerous times during the performance commenting on characters and making comments relating to what was happening on stage. He did occasionally escape from the confines of the television onto the stage. His diction was very clear, every word could be heard and he had an excellent singing voice selling which ever number he was involved in.

The lighting changed and we met our evil character who we found out was the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz. She arrived on her broomstick and looked great dressed in the archetypal witches’ colours of black and green, the green face defiantly added to the overall effect. She had a good cackle and alternated between shouting and speaking in her normal voice which meant sometimes her text wasn’t clear, maybe work on your projection with other members of your team. She enjoyed her singing and moved well in Thriller. She mentioned an ‘exciting incident’ and spoke about other Oz characters so were the audience going to meet more of them? Had her spell worked?

We then heard the ‘vworp’ Tardis sound and the blue light flashed and a very confused Beast from Beauty and the Beast arrived on the stage obviously something had gone wrong! He looked the part in blue and white with furry legs and shaggy hair. He tried to stand up to the witch but wasn’t the great figure we expected because he was put under a spell and then followed her around the stage howling, growling and executing with some unexpected actions.

The next bewildered character who arrived on the stage was Eliza who was ‘a completely different and legally distinct character’ from another well know character who also sang ‘Let it go’, which was joined in enthusiastically by the audience. This was a clever idea used throughout to ensure no problems with copyright. The young lady looked great in her blue and green outfit with silver shoes, plait and impressive make up. The young actor playing Eliza spoke clearly and created a brilliant characterisation of a confident princess. She was not to be put upon and her singing was excellent. Her rendition of the difficult Kate Bush song was exceptional.

We now knew the routine when the light flashed but who would arrive this time? This time is it a ‘character in public domain for a long time’ Robin Hood’ in Lincoln green top and hat, black shorts and baseball boots. The actor was quite quietly spoken but animated and moved well on stage; try to remember to project towards the audience, to make sure all your text is heard. ‘He’ had a tunefully singing voice and took part in many musical numbers.

The next pair to arrive were the rhyming Tweedledum and Tweedledee in their red and white outfits with windmill hats. The both created interesting characters and delivered their text well but found themselves with the Beast bewitched by the Wicked Witch and having to carry out her bidding. It was great to see it was them that finally dispatched her.

Another ‘vworp’ and flash and we were in a woodland with two new characters. A young lady asleep on a bench USL and a lady dressed in red and green with a flowered headdress. It became clear that this character was Fairy Godmother and the sleeping beauty was Aura who had evidentially had slept throughout the transportation. The player portraying the Fairy Godmother explained to those present who they both were and was at times a little difficult to hear. But she came into her own when she took charge of instructing the group in preparation for the battle to regain control. She took part in some songs but appeared occasionally a little out of step in the dance routines. Aura when she eventually woke up looked lovely in her pink outfit. She appeared a little dreamy and less forceful than the others but don’t underestimate her when she was able to keep her eyes open she surprised the rest. Her text was a little difficult to hear at times but she moved and sang well.

The final Disney princess to appear was the feisty Yasmina from the Middle East. This young lady, who looked the part, did a grand job of portraying the strong rebellious character. She was forceful and wasn’t afraid of anything, determined to succeed and wasn’t going to be put upon by anyone. She sang and moved well. I really enjoyed her duets with Eliza, they were a well-matched pair.

I was a little confused when I saw Spiderman and the Green Goblin appear, interact and disappear on various occasions during the pantomime. But I came to the conclusion; maybe incorrectly; that their presence was all to do with good powers defeating evil powers.

This was certainly a very different pantomime which contained many well-loved characters. The story you told was I believe all to do with people power and how together evil can be overcome by working together as a team and relying on your own and others strengths.

I would like to thank you for inviting me to view your production this year. Your group may not be the largest one I visit but everyone is fully committed to create a great show. A pantomime no matter how big takes a lot of work not just by those in the limelight but all those working on the various areas behind the scenes.  Congratulations to all those members within your group.

Disclaimer 

Any observation made by the reviewer can only be based on what he sees at the performance in question.  The reviewer may have received information in advance of the performance and it is inevitable that his assessment will be affected by that knowledge. 

The NODA Representative’s intention is to give an objective critique of the overall production and in particular, the performance.  It should be remembered that any review of this nature can only be objective as far as the techniques used during the performance observed.  Any criticisms expressed may not have been valid at other performances and are only made to encourage higher standards in Amateur Theatre. 

 It is hoped that the audience’s appreciation of your efforts will have given everyone a lift and encouraged you to greater achievements in the future and that the observations made by the reviewer will prove helpful in improving future productions.

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