Pinocchio

The list of this group’s previous productions contains some of the usual titles and others rather less familiar. Last year we saw “Dracula” and, earlier, Mother Goose had been sent into space, although it was probably for the best as it enabled her to avoid the lockdown which the rest of us had to endure soon afterwards.  This time it’s a character whose story is well-known, although not necessarily from the pantomime genre. That said, it’s also been the choice this year at the Bradford Alhambra, a favourite panto venue.

Here in Ripon, after a clever video introduction, the charming Abbie Goodwin as the Good Fairy, takes us to the village of Bianco and narrates the subsequent tale in rhyme, her every entrance accompanied by a puff of smoke. After a lively and colourful opening scene in which the enthusiastic chorus and dancers encouraged us to “Come, follow the Band”, we are introduced to Geppetto, the toy maker, an excellent performance from Chris Scott. Not to be outdone by a fairy, each of his own entrances makes reference to some Italian product, be it food, drink, opera singer, motor vehicle etc. As with many a High Street unit these days, business is not good at the toy shop and he seeks help from the owner of the local take-away, Mama Macaroni, who is assisted (at least in theory) by the village odd job man, Lampwick.  These two characters are responsible for most of the fun in the show and it is their job to ensure that some of it might even be at the expense of certain unfortunate members of the audience.  Although experienced in musical theatre, this was             Martin Haywood’s panto debut and in being cast as “the Dame”, the words “throw”, “deep” and “end” come to mind. His fine performance as Mama was the source of many a laugh, not least in his conversations with a young man named Gabriel, who soon realised that being in the audience for a pantomime is not without its dangers but nevertheless he joined in all the fun, even joining the cast on stage to sing a song. Shaun Doyle has entertained us for several years with his cheeky, smiling face in his performances as various characters and his accident-prone Lampwick was no exception.  His antics with his so-called puppet, Charlie, were quite hilarious and Harry Appleton as the latter contributed greatly to the amusement, On the other hand, Shaun, a career as ventriloquist does not necessarily beckon.  

There does, of course, need to be a villain and in this case it’s the rival puppeteer, Stromboli. Ryan Stocks is a veteran of 22 years with this group, having undertaken a variety of roles both on and off stage and clearly enjoyed the opportunity provided here. He is assisted by a pair of travelling actors, Mini and Maxi Morrissinis, Joanne Johnson and Tina Salden providing further amusement.

It’s a little while before we meet Pinocchio himself and a little longer before he comes to life but Taylor Campbell made the most of the role and his various adventures. Cath Colman as his mentor, Jiminy Cricket, provided good support, the character’s surname a source of several jokes involving our summer game.  Completing the cast are Antonio, Mama Macaroni’s son and Maria, daughter of Geppetto, a couple with more than simply a neighbourly respect for each other, although the evil Stromboli also has his eye on the latter.  Serena Bean gave a convincing performance as Antonio whilst Jennie Eyres had apparently taken on the role of Maria a matter of days before the show’s first night.  This was certainly not evident from her confident performance or the way in which the two of them worked so well together.

The story is quite a complicated one, involving scenes ranging from a snowy Pleasure Island with its ski slopes to the inside of a whale so that set designers, builders and stage crew led by Mike Spurgeon are kept busy. It was good to see that the programme not only names them but some have their photographs too – they’re just as important as the principals.  Further support comes from dancers and a junior and adult chorus and a live five-piece band, cleverly called “the Wooden Tops” whose musical interludes during scene changes provided further entertainment.  Producer Lily Worth did a great job in putting it all together.

All ended happily, of course, and, although the community song had the words “shutupa-ya-face”, we’re so glad you didn’t!  Next year we are to join Sinbad on his eighth voyage and so perhaps I should research the previous seven beforehand in case members of the audience are tested on the subject.  No doubt the script will see us in some stormy waters but I am confident that the expertise of this group will, as always, ensure plain sailing in the end.  Bon voyage!     

                        

        

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