Pantoville

Soup Productions were back on stage with their festive offering of the year, ‘Pantoville’, written and directed by Michael Pirks, with assistance from Josh Hopson. There was a wide open stage, with a screen on a higher level upstage used for projections. The images used were very good, transporting the audience to the fantasy world and helped with the pace of the production, allowing for smooth transitions and scene changes. Other furniture was brought on when needed, such as a bench for the forest scene and Selena’s throne, which looked good. There were the stock pantomime characters, and it was nice to see how Michael had given the pantomime genre a modern twist, with a real good message at the end of the production. There were the familiar pantomime tropes throughout, which the audience joined in with. It was great listening to the audience participating throughout – a sure fire indication of a good pantomime.

The vocal director was Jo Preston. The vocals from the cast were good and they performed well to the backing tracks, considering this was the first production from Soup Productions to feature singing. If anything, just be confident with the music and singing. There are some good foundations for you to build upon in future productions.

There was a whole team of choreographers (Josh Hopson, Abi Narraway, Janine Roberts and Samantha-Jane Twigg), who provided routines for different moments throughout the production. The routine performed by the trio of princesses was a particular standout, with a great performance from Samantha-Jane.

Technical elements were good throughout. The lighting design was good, with a good use of colours throughout. The sound balance between the backing tracks and mics was good. The use of projections to denote different locations was good, and they looked in keeping with the fairy tale world of Pantoville.

The costumes were good, helping to transport the audience to Pantoville. There were recognisable characters from the three princesses to various villains. The makeup used was also very good, from Whiskas and Dee Dog to the glitter beard of Wacky Wally.

Sam Duxbury played Dotty. Sam was good in this role, bringing the principal girl role bang up to date. Sam was well cast in this role, and worked well with the rest of the cast. The overall message of the pantomime was clear in Sam’s portrayal, and she created a good partnership with Harry.

Harry Twining played Prince Bridgerton. This was a very good performance from Harry, as the charming prince. Harry displayed some good vocals, especially in his duet with Sam. He worked well with the rest of the cast, creating a good partnership with Sam. His physical comedy was also very good.

Jo Preston played Selena. Jo did well in this role, playing the pantomime villain convincingly. She was suitably evil and had a wicked laugh. Jo’s vocals were good, leading the villains through a number. Jo handled the audience well, and interacted with them with skill.

Andy McQuoid played Wacky Wally. Andy delivered a good performance, as Dotty’s dad. He certainly looked the part and had some great comic moments. There were some lovely moments with Sam, and they created a believable father-daughter relationship.

Josh Hopson played Dee Dog. Josh was full of energy, bounding across the stage. He fully committed to this character, never once breaking out of it. He worked well with Harry, creating a good double act.

Lisa Rhodes played Whiskas. Lisa did well as the narrator of the pantomime, taking the audience through the action. She got the audience on side straight away. It would have been great to have seen a bit more energy, especially as during the opening.

Barbara Hebden, Samantha-Jane Twigg and Corynne Dittrich played Cinderella, Rapunzel and Snow White respectively. They created a good trio, each with their own personality, which is always great to see. Their dance routine was good, with Samantha-Jane standing out.

Jayne Dittrich played Sparkles the Fairy PA. This was a standout performance from Jayne. She was very funny in this role, and played it extremely well. Her interactions with Selena were very good.

Michelle Drinkwater and Marcus Cameron created a good double act as Jack and Cracker. The use of puppets from both Michelle and Marcus was good. Marcus was the strongest of the pair, using his whole body when operating the puppet, including some great facial reactions.

Andy Kenny, Lesley Hall, Ruth Gosney, Janine Roberts, Marilyn Baxter and Anna Probert did well throughout playing a multitude of roles. They were engaged with what was happening on stage and invested in the story throughout.

Overall, this was an enjoyable evening of entertainment. The sense of community within the production was great to see, especially in the opportunities given to members to be part of the production team. There were some really enjoyable performances from the cast, who totally threw themselves into these outlandish characters.

A big thank you to everyone at Soup Productions for their kind invite.

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