King Arthur - Adventures in Camelot

Colaton Raleigh Players always do something different in the way of Pantomime and this year was no exception in “King Arthur”. The set was a sheer joy to see, some other societies would give their right arm to have someone like Tim Pink doing scenery, with a castle ,a bedroom chamber that would sit in the best of castles, a big hairy mouth with big teeth all lit up inside in red, to tents either side of the stage ready to do battle on the jousting field, Brilliant stuff.

The costumes were colourful and effective and the cast, from the outset, were determined that the audience were going to enjoy the show. They must have had such fun rehearsing!

King Arthur played by Chris Silverthorne gave a great performance as an upper crust aristocrat with a super posh accent with a few “What ho’s “and “toodlepips” thrown in for good measure and his wife, completely the opposite, Guinevere (Sue Simpson) suitably over the top with makeup, wigs and dresses, who gave him the run around and had trained him to do just what she wanted.

Merlin was beautifully portrayed by Doreen Kociuba, a part that was tailormade for her. I especially liked the film of her before curtain-up which set the tone…. a nice touch. Sir Lancelot (Anya Hawtin) gave a very good account of herself in playing this role. She looked and sounded every inch the part.Squirt his squire (Dave Merrifield) along with lady in waiting Olivia(Jessica Merrifield) complemented each other very well.

Morgana (Judith Constable) made a nasty baddie along with her son Mordred (Claire Blackwell) a real Uriah Heep creepy character. They really relished their roles and I think secretly enjoyed the hissing and booing. They were so nasty even the adults in the audience gave it back to them with relish! Smoulder the small dragon looked sweet, played beautifully by Stephanie Turner, she won the hearts of the audience who said “Ah”, every time she came on! The large dragon roared with gusto the sort of thing you grow to expect from Alan Hulse! Page (Sheila Pink) was played with confidence and good acting, snuffling all the time and the servant, loyal to the core, (Gillian Forward) was convincing. All ably supported by the chorus and by the children who, as always brought a smile to their many fans in the audience.

It was a most enjoyable show, that worked well along with great staging, thanks to an experienced back stage crew along with an MD who mixed recorded music with his live performance and a skilled Director who showed that in a village hall with a local cast and an expert touch, you can bring success and great entertainment to a most appreciative audience. Well done Chrissy and all your helpers.

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