Mother Goose

Northallerton Amateur Variety Company always seem to deliver a really lively Pantomime however they seemed to take this up a level with a really energetic and action packed production of Mother Goose.

One theme that seems to come up in mine and my fellow reps show reports is consistently around pace however this show, despite featuring a long Act One whizzed along at an incredible pace without compromising on the quality of line delivery or comedy timing. Really well cast principals were backed up by a very strong Junior ensemble who were all switched on from the opening number, a rousing rendition of Hot To Go right through to the well picked finale of You Can’t Stop the Beat. 

These Junior members were involved throughout the whole show from some impressive dance numbers, individual lines from the older juniors and their focus remained in place the whole show. It is great for a society to have such a strong Junior base, these are your future Cinderellas and Belles and with the talent I saw tonight NAVC is looking strong for many years to come.

A lot of the older Juniors took on much more involvement in the show with many delivering cameo roles with great conviction, the Ghoulies acted their roles perfectly in the traditional Ghost Gag and alongside her fellow dancers Eilidh McMillan performed a stunning ballet sequence in the Sugar Plum Fairy dance number. 

There is a common trend with Pantomimes to push the level of innuendo as far as possible with many productions very close to crossing the line so it was lovely to see a true Family Community Panto in action and credit must go to Director James Cornick for sticking to his principles with this. Not only did it retain the Community feel but it also ensured both adults and kids were howling with laughter the whole way through. Not once did I stop and think “should I be laughing at this”. Whilst the script retained this vibe I do feel the script in the middle sections was lacking a bit of context and had the story wandering a bit at times. Luckily the Performance had 2 very polished performers from both sides of the spectrum keeping us on track.

Lisa Walton as Demon Discontent was suitably evil in her role, determined to win the title of most evil villain 2026, her cackles and menacing tone were as vicious as her evil plot to bring down Mother Goose and her tribe.

In complete contrast we had the shining star of Kimberley Boagey as Fairy Friendship who shone not only in her stunning golden gown with matching wings but also with her clearly delivered descriptive rhyming monologues. The facial expressions were a great picture and we got a slight glimpse of her dancing talent and lovely vocals in later scenes. 

Adele McNally and Jess Stamper were the perfect principal boy and leading lady. Both giving real class and refinement to their roles. Surrounded by chaos they both delivered wonderful characterisations and honest connection as Colin and Jill. Adele’s dancing talent really shone as she led numerous ensemble numbers with Dance With Me a real standout number. Jess is a really polished actress and this showed tonight as she tried to keep her mum and silly brother in check. Some of the little glances and reactions were brilliant. Both ladies really delivered on their numbers and their duet Can’t Stop The Feeling really balanced their voices together well.

Nik Browne and Nigel Thomsen have almost taken ownership of two key roles in NAVC Pantos and yet again it is clear to see why. As Mother Goose and Silly Billy these two actors absolutely smashed their performances out of the park. Nik showed so much versatility to his role in this show going from the frumpy Dame to glamorous drag queen in one crazy witchcraft scene and it was fab to see this switch in character. Huge credit must go to the Make-up team from Middlesbrough College who transformed Nik from traditional Dame to China Doll in a flash - it was really effective. Nik again gave a performance as big as his frocks and I am loving all his little hmmms and oooohs that have developed over the years. I really enjoyed the big number Man I Feel Like a Woman sung with a lovely bass tone. I lost count of how many Bra jokes were delivered but they didn’t stop the flow of the scenes just rolled nicely into them, the timing delivered perfectly.

Where do we start with Nigel? Yet again he has proven what a comedy genius this man is in Panto. An expert in adlib, a perfectionist in physical comedy and someone who has a connection with his co-stars as much as his audience. You really don’t know what to expect apart from comedy Gold and despite being a regular scene each year, the baking and water scene alongside Nik again brought the house (and almost the scenery) down.

Matthew Ainsworth delivered the menacing Squire perfectly, a real confident and bold performance really commanding the stage. It was great to see control in his performance as he terrorised the villagers and also a lovely contrast to his later romance with Mother Goose. 

Working alongside him and a new comedy duo were Stan Parry and Keith Burns as Bill Bumpkin and Ben Bogtrotter and they worked together so well. There was a clear connection on stage, the slapstick routines were brilliant and they both played the slightly naive and dumb sidekicks with ease.

Lewis Wilde and Tracie Birdsall were a lovely choice of King and Queen of Gooseland. Tracie’s frantic and scatty behaviour with her tongue-twister lines a lovely contrast to Lewis’s elegant and regal delivery. Both portrayed true nobility in very different ways in perhaps the most confusing scenes in the production.

Now it’s not often that I say that Nik and Nigel get upstaged in a NAVC panto but this year they did with a truly outstanding performance by our loveable Goose played by Millie Sample. Now it’s a hard one to explain as I was amazed how someone in a huge feather clad outfit, complete with a lovely Honk can actually deliver characterisation yet Millie managed it, and by the bucket load. From leg twists, changes in stances, head twists and changes in pace of movement she managed to deliver the performance of the night. I was expecting chaos on stage yet what I witnessed was an incredible example of physical acting.

The technical element plays a huge part in what brings NAVC pantos to life, from the wonderful Orchestra led by Maeve Hird, the stage team, set design and outstanding lighting and visual effects. Every element plays a key role with huge praise for one scene in particular, Gooseland that combined a clear blue backdrop, lovely misting effect and hazy lighting all together to deliver a scene that suited the great song choice of Spirit in the Sky.

The costumes themselves were stunning. From our Dame frocks, beautiful Fairy gowns, devilishly Red Satin outfit and a huge amount of wonderfully co-ordinated ensemble collections. Huge congratulations to Wardrobe mistress Emma Browne and her team of Kim and Bobby, the overall picture was perfect.

The song choices for the Panto were excellent, really fresh, modern and brought real energy to the performance. With everything from Meghan Trainor, Abba and Pitbull it was definitely an uplifting collection and gave choreographer Becky Porter a great base to put together some lovely routines. The cast all worked brilliantly in sync, the Juniors taking the lead with some lovely dancing and the stage being full of action. The numbers Timber with the Barn Dance styled theme and the opening number of Act Two, Bad Blood really stood out with great impact.

I have saved the best bit for last as it is rare that a sketch in a show brings me to tears of laughter yet “If I were in Pantomime” did precisely that. The movements and individual lines were brilliant yet when they all came together it created absolute comedy chaos with props flying all around the stage. I have a feeling Northallerton A&E may be busy tonight whilst Social Services may need to have a few words with Kim’s childcare. Absolutely brilliant.

Overall, and I will say it, despite a slightly strange story line and questionable script, NAVC delivered a fantastic Pantomime yet again. Director James should be so proud of his cast for not only bringing his vision to life but watching them give 100% in every scene and watching the smiles in the Finale and how exhausted everyone looked after the show. This was a cast who had all worked together to deliver a wonderful Community Pantomime.

A huge well done to everyone and I can’t wait to come and join you all next year for more utter chaos. 

 

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