Mother Goose

A very warm welcome was waiting for me and my companion when we arrived at the venue as we were greeted by the society’s chairperson, Michael Joyce-Knowles. We were shown through the front of house areas and met with big smiles from all the FOH team; this was brilliantly organised and flowed seamlessly from programmes through to refreshments via the raffle and finally to ‘Bodjit’s Bar’ where we were furnished with lovely cups of tea. We then settled in our seats with plenty of time for me to peruse the excellent programme before ‘curtain up’. Tom Joyce-Knowles should be highly commended for designing such a visually appealing and easy-to-read publication, and a special mention to Red Wellies Photography for the superb pictures. I particularly liked the cast section where the actor could be seen alongside their ‘character’ in full costume – a great idea!

As is customary with the pantomime, Mother Goose, the show opened with the fairy and the demon (in this instance the bad fairy) entering from either side of the stage, ready for a show down. The role of Fairy Virtue was played by Joanna Hobbs, resplendent in a long, yellow dress and clutching a ‘sunflower’ wand, and her opponent was Hannah Melton as Fairy Vanity, equally striking in a purple, punk-inspired costume with complimentary violet wig. Both had rich, clear voices and bickered their way through the proceedings in beautifully delivered rhyming couplets.

Enter Mother Goose, the protagonist of our story, played with confidence and warmth by John Munton. Mother Goose is an unusual pantomime in the fact that it is one of the few that have the dame as the lead character, driving the story, and as a consequence, it is one of the largest dame roles. John should be congratulated for taking on this huge commitment and it was lovely to see the grand tradition of multiple frock changes being upheld. Among my favourites were her opening scene dress complete with oversized mop cap, her vivid red transformation frock when she emerged from under the magical arch, and her Act One finale dress – a vision in tangerine and turquoise beehive wig.

Mother Goose’s children were Billy and Jill, performed by Kiera McKernan and Daisy Young respectively. Kiera was perhaps the youngest member of the principal cast, and she did a good job performing alongside the more experienced, adult actors. Her diction was strong, and showed promise with her intonation, expression and comic timing. Daisy played Jill with sincerity and tenderness and had notable rapport with Dex Tomlins as Jack. Dex had excellent posture and stance as the principal boy and the beaming smile and ironic thigh-slapping were spot on. I look forward to seeing these three young actors grow as performers in the future, developing the skills they already clearly have.

The comedy double act in this version of the pantomime was Bodjit and Scratchit, the local ‘odd-job’ men, first introduced selling ‘maggoty-apples’ to the villagers. This duo was played by Jo Abraham and Carla Cole, and both were evidently having a great time in the roles. The banter between the two characters was such fun and there was a definite chemistry between the actors. They brought a smile to my face every time they entered. Their involvement in the school room scene was a highlight.

On to the final two members of the main cast, and my personal favourites. Joanne Strickland played Candy the goose and was simply wonderful. She had no lines to recall and yet spoke volumes with her ‘goose-call’ whistle. It’s not easy to play a skin character, but Joanne effortlessly brought Candy to life with her skilful gestures and well-observed actions. John Martin took the role of Sidney Snyde the Squire, the secondary baddie behind our wicked fairy, and he made an impact from the moment he entered in his sharp red and black outfit (shame about the orange socks but the red quiff made up for it). John’s irrepressible enthusiasm was infectious, and I really liked his exaggerated, energetic delivery. His voice reminded of Harold Steptoe when he attempts a posh accent, and his facial expressions were reminiscent of Vic Reeves.

The principals were ably supported by a fabulous ensemble of juniors who played the fairies, goblins, witches and young villagers. These youth performers entertained the audience with their animated characterisations and spirited dance routines. I especially liked the D.I.S.C.O. musical number. Producer, Jayne Munton, should be very proud of their achievements and her ability to bring out such sparkly performances in her whole cast. She had also obviously worked very effectively with her technical director, Michael Joyce-Knowles, because the production values were very high.

The set was particularly impressive, and I’d like to extend a massive ‘well done’ to set designer, Emma Shortland, and her scenic artists. I absolutely loved the cartoonish, stylised quality of the scenery, it reminded me of children’s book illustrations, and it felt inspired by the artwork in a Dr Seuss story. Some of the props were equally as good – the ‘Dali-esque’ clock face was a stand-out. Congratulations to stage manager, Nathan Snell, and his team, for keeping the scene changes tight and slick, which helped maintain the pace.

The lighting and sound were also very strong, and both were used effectively to enrich scenes and musical numbers. The cues were sharp and well-timed, and the quality of the lights, sound effects and head-mics was fantastic. The incidental music was carefully chosen and used very well to cover scene changes. Moving forward, maybe a few more sound effects could be added, such as a tinkle when the fairy enters, and ‘floating’ stage microphones would help lift the voices of those without mics. I really liked the use of the projections onto the curtains, this felt very professional, and the use of smoke machines took the stage atmosphere to the next level.

The wardrobe team was Jayne Munton, Claire Thompson and Danielle Martin and they provided some excellent costumes. I’ve already mentioned some that made an impression, others include Jill Goose’s blue gingham dress, Bodjit and Scratchit’s ‘Minion-inspired’ outfits and the eye-catching purple and gold themed finale costumes.

Overall, this was a fun-filled pantomime with many ‘eggs-traordinary’ moments, and I’d like to pass on my sincere congratulations to Jayne, Michael and the whole team. This was a ‘solid gold’ example of what community theatre should be about. The cast were clearly having an amazing time and there was a tangible feeling that the team who brought you this pantomime was a very happy team indeed. I’m already looking forward to what CADS has instore for me, and its loyal audiences, next time.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.