Little Red Riding Hood's Epic adventure

Arriving at Oasis Academy Mayfield on a cold blustery and wet Saturday afternoon, I was warmly welcomed by the front of house team and shown to my seat in the auditorium for my afternoon's entertainment.

Superstars performing arts are a relatively new company to NODA and this was my first official visit and my first panto of the season (oh yes it is!) Superstars are primarily a youth/dance group, however this was an all age panto. It gives the youngsters the involvement and learning from experienced "grown ups", and the mix was very well balanced.

The set was a simple affair with a dark backdrop to the rear, and stage left and stage right with trees and foliage also to the edge of the set. Well lit by Howard and Jill Corbett added to the open set, and their skills with the sound meant that we were able to hear and follow the story well. The choreography was well thought through and challenging enough to allow the cast to push themselves, always a good thing. The standard of diction, given the very early years age of some of the cast, was of a good quality, there didn't appear to be many dropped lines which is proof positive that Jayne and the directorial team had rehearsed them well and they were here to enjoy themselves. There were many costumes and the team Jayne Stephens and Julia Foster (and countless others I should have thought) here had worked hard. It showed and did not go unmissed, certainly by me. It all adds to the overall production values.

The cast was well led by Seren Nevin as Little Red and Seb Roberts as the Big Bad Wolf (boo hiss), but to be fair all the cast played their respective roles well and the overall production warmed us up and had us cheering. As a newish company, i can only see them growing and the experience they gain will stand them in good stead for bigger performances in the future. Well done Jayne and your team. they are all Superstars!

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