Little Miss Muffet

A traditional village pantomime is always warmly welcomed by any community and this was certainly the case at Colaton Raleigh Village Hall where a packed house enjoyed the lively and spirited adventures of Little Miss Muffet and her friends in search of the Spider, aka Princess Valtena. Written by Paul Reakes, this pantomime contained all the familiar stock characters, gags, routines and corny jokes that audiences love.

The evening began with a professional pre-show announcement, followed by an opening medley of live show tunes.  When the curtains opened, Granfer Fuddlewick immediately engaged us with his comical drunken quips though it was the young children in the cast who swiftly stole the scene: delighting the audience throughout with their cheeky and joyful responses. 

The loveable Dame, Dolly Drinkup, had the audience on her side right from the start, blatantly playing the “bloke in a frock” in a self-assured and relaxed manner with wit, sharp repartee and the inevitably corny jokes.  Dame Dolly’s jibes and conflict with Granfer did add interest to the dynamics between the two characters though may have been a little too repetitive at times. The dame’s interaction with the audience, however, certainly added variety and light-hearted humour. The baffooning duo, Flip and Flop, also entertained us with a number of comical routines; the wallpapering number cleverly executed in true Laurel and Hardy style.  Jasper Grasper meanwhile, as the villain of the piece, presented a sinister and calculating character who wanted to “pulverise your popcorn” and taunted the audience to extract well-deserved “boos”.  Captain Jack was well cast as the courageous, thigh-slapping hero, strong and in-command and ever-willing to protect Molly Muffet, his shy and unassuming love interest. Princess Valtena also delighted us as the timid yet charming spider. 

It was great to see that the chorus members were also given individual roles and speaking parts to make this a very inclusive production.  All were given the opportunity to extend themselves including Sammy Starboard and Peter Port as the mischievous “Ant and Dec” characters, the impish Gorilla, the reluctant Fairy and the devilish Mor and Ac in their fabulous costumes and makeup. The Prompt also took on quite an active role at times, though the audience were forgiving so it didn’t interfere greatly with the enjoyment of the show.

The multiple scene changes, all with individually painted flats that emphasised the shifts in mood and atmosphere, together with the numerous costume changes and entrance and exit points, all added variety and interest. Scenery and props were moved without any discernible sound or disruption which was no mean feat for the stage crew, given the limited space available backstage. 

There was also a significant number of songs mostly accompanied by live music played by the lone musician who was kept busy playing multiple instruments. Perhaps the most memorable and hilarious number was “If I Was Not Aboard This Ship” – that must have taken quite some time to choreograph!

One observation - the raffle results took place within the show which seemed unusual and did tend to break the “magic” of the piece.  I appreciate that it may have been done to provide more time for scenery/costume changing but think it would have been better placed during the interval if required.

This production, the first for 3 years, attracted a number of new members, many of whom have not been on stage before and Chrissy Brimacombe and her team should be commended for the extraordinary amount of effort, skill, time and dedication that clearly went into creating such a warm-hearted pantomime that certainly made us “smile, put a spring in [our] step and sent [us] all home lifted in spirit”.

Signed: Sharon Wayland

 

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