Panto At The O.K Corral

Valley Arts can be proud to say this was a totally in-house production with new director Bob Hawkes bravely stepping up to the plate after many years collaboration with the society, under many other guises. It was refreshing to see some new, young members joining the cast, each bringing valuable energy and a good degree of talent to the production. After working with backing tracks for several years, a duo of musicians provided the accompaniment this year, an excellent arrangement that sat well within the limited spaces available in the village hall. Music choice however, needed more inspiration to fully embrace and draw on their talents. Some numbers tended towards pedantic rather than the 'rootin tootin' feel appropriate to a themed, supposedly 'rough and ready' pantomime. Using wheeled triangular trucks and a backcloth, nicely decorated, the set sat perfectly around cast, allowing optimum working stage space, a format now successfully used every year. Butch Casserole and the Sun Tanned Kid provided much of the comedy, as naturals they worked together with ease showing a complete confidence in their roles. Clint Westwood, played by The multi-talented Richard Shepherd, brought his own brand of humour to the character along with frequent audience interaction, a fun filled performance was enjoyed. The interval saw him handling the raffle, almost a show in itself, hilarious!  Having never undertaken the role of Dame before, Geoff Taylor initially struggled to portray the confidence usually comfortably seen in roles normally undertaken. It is exciting to step out of the box and with further development there is no doubt this would be a role he would have the potential to play in future productions. Chorus contributed to the best of their ability, performing a competent line dance which fitted beautifully into the storyline and a rousing 'Feel Like A Woman', which set toes tapping. An almost unknown phenomenon in village productions, saw male cast outnumbering females by a healthy margin, it goes without saying their performances also, were equally up to the task. As a small community production, audiences attend with mixed expectations, the odd late entrance or other faux pas readily forgiven and accepted as part of the entertainment. This production fitted the bill, providing a lot of enjoyment and fun for the local audience.

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