Jack and the Magic Rope Ladder

Pantomime time seems to have arrived early this year as this group, well known for their performances of musicals and plays, made another of their occasional excursions into this genre for this year’s late autumn show.  Apparently, it’s only the second time this show has been performed and it takes us on from the more famous adventures involving a beanstalk.  It’s not been a good year as the golden chicken has stopped laying and the golden harp has stopped playing but that does not deter a gang of villains from seeking to capture them and return them to the giant, whilst Jack and his mother seek to retain possession. Add in a pop group known as the Funky Chickens, a hen party, a long-lost husband and a  couple of policemen and you have the rather eclectic mix which, I suppose, is the recipe for all good pantomimes.

Emma Hoekstra gave a confident performance in the title role and her good singing voice provided an excellent lead when required in the bigger numbers. In most pantos, the part of Jack’s mother (Dora Handle) would have been taken by a rather macho bloke in an outrageous frock but here it was nicely played by Marie Clinker, again attired more loudly than she might be seen in Wetherby High Street and successfully extracting every piece of humour from the script. I suspect there were some additions of her own and I should have guessed that seats reserved for us on the front row were not out of deference to my status as the local NODA Rep but to provide an easy target for a little banter. Jim Bower and            Adam Stewart made an amusing pairing as Sergeant Willey and Constable Pimple, charged with attempting to keep the peace, the former with repeated references to his wife’s flapjack, the occasional appearances of which left me wanting to try some. Linda Young tried to instil some sort of discipline when they posed as the Giant’s guards. The villains of the piece were led by Jean-Francois Andre as Duckface but his assistants, Dumley and Dimley were often left to carry out his instructions without him. I particularly enjoyed the way in which Megan Ratcliffe and Nikita Patel made the most of their opportunities in these roles, moves and facial expressions completely appropriate for their characters, especially when disguised as trees!  Jess Roy as Poppy provided a love interest for Jack, although the script did not offer many opportunities for her to develop her character. Thelma Smallwood appeared as Millie, the chef in Dora’s diner, perhaps feeling the egg shortage more than most. The Funky Chickens, attracted to the village from the Emerald Isle in the belief they could win some sort of contest but then drawn into the action, were amusingly played by Gary Bullock, Ben Wilman and Penny Osborne as Harry, Larry and Barry.  Quite how a hen party came into the story was not all that clear but the four ladies involved (Jo, Daniela, Catherine and Sylvie) brought more amusement. No pantomime would be complete without some fairies and these were led by Catherine Hopkins and Sue Riley as Nightshade and Lampshade respectively and it was good to see that to cover all eventualities Fairyland had even provided back-up fairies (Ben Ellerton and  Beverley Lyn).  Janet Wilson did her best to provide some sort of authority as Lady Angelina, the mayor of Wiggotown and Simon Burdett aroused our sympathy as the imprisoned Henry, the estranged husband of the real villain of it all, Rosey Fowlpest.  Maureen Savage was a threatening character in the wicked witch sort of style. Rachel Kato had a watching brief as the Giant, still suffering from Jack’s previous actions.  

A junior chorus provided good support including a ballet to introduce us to the enchanted forest whilst                            Alice Richmond Halliwell appeared as Chucky, the hen with the problems. Cat Clutterbuck and Jackie Waite led a school trip to the forest but also took to the stage in the bigger numbers with clarinet and saxophone supporting the keyboard and tambourine which accompanied the rest of the musical items.  Many of these reflected the thoughts of poultry coming from the story whilst the audience participation song reminded us of the beneficial effects of lettuce. Costumes and scenery were excellent and stage manager Enid Doyle and her team of designers and painters are to be congratulated on their efforts.  

Although it’s not a large hall, I’m sure all concerned were pleased to see virtually all performances sold out. Next year sees the group celebrate 50 years of entertaining the people of Wetherby and so they go into it in good spirits and with plans for the return of “Guys and Dolls”, which had been their first show in 1975.   

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