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Pinocchio

Author: Helen Abraham

Information

Date
14th January 2022
Society
Dryburn Theatrical Workshop
Venue
Park View Theatre
Type of Production
Pantomime
Director
Michelle Coulson
Musical Director
Brian Pennick
Choreographer
Kirsty Thompson
Written By
Tom Whalley

Thanks to the trials and tribulations that the Covid-19 pandemic has brought, despite it being mid way through January 2022, this was the first pantomime of the 2021-2022 year for me.  I originally was intended to have seen and reported on four this week alone and two having had to make the extremely difficult decision to have postponed their performance to the following year when we hope that the world will be edging further back to a normal that we all miss so much.  As such I was so proud of Dryburn Theatrical Workshop (DTW) for their perseverance in pushing on forward and their clear care for the safety of their cast and audiences and I could not wait for their performance, especially being “Pinocchio” generally a little performed pantomime script. 

DTW also performed a relaxed performance earlier in the week which thanks to a sponsor was made available free to anyone who usually finds theatre a daunting or stressful experience which I cannot applaud DTW enough for and I understand was positively received.

DTW have chosen a Tom Whalley script, always a laugh a minute with clever, relevant and topical humour throughout so I was certainly anticipating a hilarious evening.  I had the most wonderful warm welcome from front of house manager Darren Dyson who could not have been more accommodating and it was immediately clear that audiences were just as keen to be back supporting this hobby we love so much.  The excitement was real and the audience numbers nice and full which was so wonderful to see.

The cloths used were absolutely superb, lovely bright, detailed and colourful which is just what you want from a panto from Border Studio.  The costumes were so bright and colourful which I understand were supplied from AG Costumes and by DTW themselves.  As always, hi-lights provided superb effective lighting, pyrotechnics and sound, and are always dependable.

Ensemble numbers were seriously stand out for me.  Everyone on stage had a huge bright smile on their faces, their energy was infections and well done to choreographer Kirsty Thomson who ensured that all of the numbers were simple and effective, well-rehearsed which made every participant on stage able to join in.  Loved them, well done to you all!

We were introduced and narrated to the story by The Blue Fairy played by the beautiful Emma Scott who in Act 2 gave us a lovely rendition of “Children will Listen” the Witches Lament from Into the Woods.  Lee Passmoor gave us a sterling performance as the dame Mamma Mia and Joe Coulson had us in stitches with his antics as Lampwick.  Joe’s comic timing was really marvellous though I was concerned about how much flour was being thrown all over stage!  Stage crew will have words!  Claire Archer was fabulous as Pinocchio giving us just the right balance from the titular part of sincerity and fun, with her versatility as a performer being able to shine though.  I didn’t even recognise Phil Martin as the villain Stromboli, the hat must have done the trick as the disguise and he was ably supported by Pauline Wright and Chris Coates respectively as Signore Volpe and Signore Gatto respectively.  Lawrence Clark played Gepetto with authenticity of the role of the puppet maker who longs for a son.  Jillian Reay-Hindson added a lovely fun element with her performance as Pinocchio’s conscious Jiminy Cricket.

Difficult sets were done with ease (loved the whale!) and there was clever use of topical humour and relevant songs. The audience engagement was really excellent throughout by all, audiences were encouraged to boo and hiss, shout out and join in which really made it such a fun family atmosphere.  I loved it DTW, I cannot wait for the next one!

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