Once Upon A Time In Pantoland

Even before the curtain opened the atmosphere was positively crackling with energy and eager anticipation: Plumpton Pantomime Society are always welcoming, full of enthusiasm and community spirit; and this was an extra special Panto, for their 50th Anniversary. So much so that the original pantomime has been adapted by Duncan Taylor-Jones, who also directs, and plays the Dame, to have the 50th anniversary of the Society running through the show, including the biggest cake you’ve ever seen, so big it could hold a person, complete with candles which flicker and die (as part of the story) and then spring back to life with the audience’s help. Pantomime done well is a joy to put a smile on everyone’s faces and Plumpton have done this exceptionally well.

There was everything to love about this show, and simply everything was spot on. The stage was dressed simply with painted graduated sides of the town, giving depth, and the backdrops showed the audience where the action was taking place. The bats stuck on various places in Mouldywart’s layer were a lovely touch. The costumes were sumptuous and so well done, each of them were tailored individually. The Spirit of Pantomime played gently and sweetly by Carol Symes in a gorgeous blue dress reminiscent of the Blue Fairy in Pinocchio or perhaps the live action Cinderella; contrasted with the hilarious costumes worn by Duncan Taylor-Jones as the Dame which changed each time the Dame appeared, including a different wig each time, which matched the new outfit. His appearance was always cause for hilarity which he encouraged. With 12 main characters, 20 supporting characters and 10 ensemble, the fact that they were all costumed so beautifully, including changes of costume in the multi-rolling, was seriously impressive. Accompanying the costumes were sometimes elaborate wigs, and in character makeup. You instantly knew who Snow White was on the stage, who Peter Pan was and so on.

Another wonderful part of the panto was the live orchestra, with direction by James Honess. They accompanied all the singing beautifully, added sound effects to action on the stage such as dropping a suitcase (repeatedly) in one scene, and the addition of the glittery hats towards the finale was a lovely touch, all being put on at the same time, for the celebration song. The song choices throughout were wonderful, popular, full of energy; and the actors all exuded the happiness they were feeling performing them (except for the song in which they were miserable, but that was the point). On show were a wonderful array of songs either in group numbers, solo or duets, and not a note out of place: pitch perfect. Another standout point were the harmonies: unusual and beautiful blendings of voices in group numbers which was an absolute joy to hear. The harmonies behind the curtain suddenly opening up in “Happy Together” was so uplifting. Lily Halward as Tilly Tickle and Emma Symes as Prince Harry sang the most gorgeous duet, their voices and vibratos blending perfectly together. Lily’s performance of “How Far I’ll Go” from Moana was beautiful, and it’s not an easy song to sing, but she gave it such longing in the performance as well as singing tone and quality: an absolute joy to listen to.

Duncan Taylor-Jones as the Dame, being tall and deep voiced, was a genius choice for the Dame. He interacted with the audience with professional level ease, as did Paul Kluge as the Dame’s son Tommy Tickle who played the Buttons style interaction character. Their interplay makes them an incredibly funny double act and there were people with tears of laughter watching them. The adlibbed quips and local disparaging references to other places were also a delight, in a Panto they absolutely need to be there, the audience love them. How Duncan also directed the Panto is an astonishing feat of multi-tasking, especially as he’s done it so incredibly well. The set pieces worked really well, including one with a flat screen TV for the visual jokes, a section of being chased by ghosts, plus a lovely sing-a-long with the audience. All the characters who needed to interact with the audience do so with confidence and ease, including Nancy Doyle as Mouldywart, the evil character who was encouraging all the booing from the audience with delight.

The choreography by Abi Taylor and Kate Taylor was absolutely spot on for each musical number. The movements were all synchronous, or in sections in order, with very often over 20 people on the stage at a time; created specially to fit together so nobody outshone anyone else or bumped into anyone, and everyone had a chance at the front, with a lovely moving of rows. There were so many lovely standout moments, including the Spirit of Pantomime Fairy bringing on her own locked gate and being in spotlight: fantastically done. All the children in the show were wonderful: they knew exactly where they were going and all the moves in mimed sections too.

You can see from the names in the programme that whole families have come together to be involved in this venture and it’s as fine an example of community theatre that you are likely to find. Plumpton have provided a panto that every single person involved seemed to absolutely adore, with such love and enthusiasm exuding to the audience and leaving everyone watching with joyful smiles not only at the end, but all the way through. The hugest of congratulations to every single person involved in a wonderful, fun filled show full of enjoyment, heart and soul.

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