Mother Goose

Mother Goose a pantomime performed by Waterloo and Crosby Theatre Company on Friday 1st December, 2023 at Merchant Taylors’ Boys School, Liverpool Road, Crosby.

The Tale…. Mother Goose may well regret wishing she was young and beautiful again, when she’s tricked by the evil Deamon Daevas.  Keen to get his hands on a goose that lays golden eggs, the Daevas enlists the help of his two dim henchmen and an old con woman Dolores Del Rey to help carry out his plan.  Along the way we meet Mother Goose’s son and daughter, a local farmer, an immature Lord of the Manor and his butler, Fairy Alvina, principal boy Brodie and two local wannabe entrepreneurs join in when a battle between good and evil is the only way to stop the demon’s threat.  Somehow in all the chaos a ‘true love’ is developing and a son finds his long-lost father.

Production Team …  Rosie Shields (Director) was the person chosen to ‘oversee’ this pantomime, her directing debut for the society … but Rosie is far from a stranger to WCTC having, for the last few years, been cast as the society’s pantomime Dame!  Sarah Henchskelt (Choreographer) and Alice Melling (Assistant Choreographer) had the task of putting the dance moves into the production. I did think the production was well cast and I do believe the audience appreciated everything that was thrown at them, but it being the ‘opening night’ when I saw the production … I do believe we had some first night nerves!   We also had problems with both sound and lighting, which didn’t help matters!  But the cast did the best they could and there’s very little more that you can ask!   I’m sure that as the run progressed those nerves and those technical problems would have disappeared and been ironed out…congrats you three, the production was well cast, this is ‘live theatre’ and all the planning and all the rehearsal time in the world can’t prevent first night nerves… nor any technical problems when they occur!   Well done you three …   

The Cast… as most will know this is where I ‘stick my neck out’ and start selecting favourites … MY favourites, but I find myself under a little pressure, simply because I felt that everyone gave of their best and OK, we had a lot of first night nerves to deal with and a lot of technical issues to overcome… but when people ‘give’ their all, there’s very little more you can ask!  What was obvious, as soon as those curtains parted, was the comradery on that stage which is always evident here at WCTC and it was ‘team togetherness’ that really ‘stood out’ for me!  But, after saying all that, I do think it would be remiss of me not to give a few ‘shout outs’ …  let me start with someone who didn’t have any first night nerves and that was Jemima Hargreaves who took on the role of ‘Pricilla’ the Goose who lays the ‘Golden Eggs’. OMG, I laughed, laughed and laughed some more at Jemima’s portrayal of the ‘Pricilla’ … right up my street!  I’m not really sure if Jemima actually realised how funny she was, her mannerisms, her facial expressions, her bendy legs which had a set of orange flippers stuck on the end had me in ‘tucks’ and then she laid a ‘Golden Egg’ a few seconds to early… to see her scoop it up and stick it back under her costume only to re-lay it again moments later… honestly, I almost fell off my chair!  Great stage presence, natural comedic timing… loved, loved, loved it… be very proud Jemima, great job!  Jemima’s dad… Mathew Hargreaves took on the challenge of playing ‘Mother Goose’, his debut as Dame… Oh no it wasn’t, Oh yes it was and what a good job he made of it!  The role of Dame isn’t as easy as it looks (I’ve just done my 29th year as Dame and I’m still learning). Mathew had good comic timing, loved his facial expressions and he worked well with all the cast. If I could offer a small piece of constructive advice for the future… try and connect with the audience as soon as you can, get a rapport with them, win them over and your well on your way!  All in all, good job Mathew welcome to the ‘Tradition’!  Will Martin did a good job with the villain of the piece ‘Deamon Daevas’ once a powerful demon, severely weakened after many battles with ‘Fairy Avina’ who was played really well by Helen McLoughlin. Will created just enough evilness to make him a constant irritant to the audience who reacted with ‘boos and hisses’ throughout.  Helen on the other hand provided us with a good ‘spell casting modern fairy’.  Loved their battles and those with their sidekicks… be very proud you two… good job!  Grace O’Rourke took on the principle female role that of ‘Lucy Goose’ daughter of Mother Goose… good job Grace.  Chloe Todd played ‘Hovis with Alex Faulkner playing ‘Bovis’ our Comedy Duo… these two were ‘Jacks of All Trades - Masters of None’; Zak Douras played ‘Lord Teddy Flanshaw’ our Lord of the Manor; Alex Sinclair made a good job of ‘Pilsbury’ the very straight-laced Butler; Ian Robinson did a good job playing ‘Farmer Field’ who gifts Mother Goose with ‘Pricillia’ and who also has a ‘hidden secret’ which is revealed at the end; Daniel Housley took on the role of ‘Sheldrake Goose’, Freya Maddock played Brodie Goodwood; Anastasia Garner played ‘Maggot’; Emily Wall played ‘Taggot’; Petricia Howard played ‘Delores Del Ray’ and Isabel Todd played ‘Louise’.  Dance Captains included Jessica Dearden, Gemma Mulligan and Heidi Saunders.  Dancers: Jessica Dearden, Gemma Mulligan, Heidi Sauders, Alice Dearden, Georgie Wilson, Grace Jackson, Jennifer Hargreaves and Emmie Stewart.  Youth Ensemble: Micha Edwards, Alice Edwards, Holly Robertson, Emilie Lai, Poppy Sinclair, Leon Davis, Chloe Peate.  Adult Ensemble: Liz Swainston, Jai Edwards and Jason Sinclair.  We had a 2nd Principal Cast … Cast Down…Lucy Goose – Grace O’Rourke; Jonah Hargreaves – Sheldrake Goose; Alice Melling – Brodie Goodwood; Taggot – Grace Pearce, and finally, Louise - Olivia Williams

Staging/Set/Tech… as always WCTC’s staging/set was ideal for this production offering the cast an ideal platform to do their thing… under the watchful eye and guidance of the ever so dedicated and talented Colin Wilson (Stage Manager /Scenery Maker) … WCTC are not only blessed with a very dedicated Stage Manager, they also have a dedicated Backstage Crew… led by Colin, which includes Heather and Jason Sinclair, Robin Layland, Nail Quigley, Ben and Linzi Sanders, Andrew McLeod and Liz Swainston…. Well done folks   great job/ great platform provided!

Music… was by backing track supported by the ever so talented / dedicated Annie Dlckinson (MBE) on keyboard.

Sound/Lighting … opening night and without going into great detail… we did have a number of issues with both sound and lights.  ‘Mikes’ that came on late, ‘mikes’ that didn’t come on at all!  The lighting also had a few gremlins, with a few cast members being left in the dark or only half lit.  Opening night… can be difficult… I did think it caused a few issues and it really didn’t help with the flow of the production!  I’m led to believe that most, if not all the issues / problems did get sorted as the ‘run’ progressed.    

Costumes … under the guidance/design and creation of the ever so talented Louise Dearden … the costumes were perfect for the production … well done you Lousie…  great wardrobe, effective costumes!

Chaperones/Matrons… I never close a review where young people have been involved without ‘praising the people’ who give of their time to ensure young people are ‘safe’ throughout the production… ‘Chaperones / Matrons’ have many names, but without them … young people would not be able to perform … so congrats to Louise Dearden, ‘Matron Co-ordinator’ and all the unnamed volunteers who help make this experience possible for these young people… our young performers are the future of Amateur Theatre, without you…the future wouldn’t be as bright… Congrats!

Finally, thanks to everyone at Waterloo and Crosby Theatre Company for inviting both Susan and I … I was restricted when I could attend … those restrictions making ‘opening night’ the only possible night for me to attend!  As previously stated, we did have a few issues, which I believe were overcome as the run progressed… but, fear not, we still enjoyed what we saw!  Thanks to John for looking after us throughout the evening and thank you so much for allowing me to meet and speak with the cast backstage after the show… its aways a privilege and an honour!  Have a great Christmas and we’ll see you all in the New Year…

Stay safe and keep well…
‘Stronger Together’!

Jim Briscoe
NODA North West
District 6 Rep

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