Pinocchio

What a pleasure to visit LIDOS for their annual pantomime, which this year was Pinocchio, written by Tom Whalley. A brave choice to go for something a little different but LIDOS is a company more than able to take on this sort of challenge. This pantomime, creatively directed by Emma Shortall, told the classical tale of the wooden puppet, who, upon a wish from his maker Gepetto and the magic of the Blue Fairy, was transformed to be a real boy. Tom Whalley’s script took the traditional story of Pinocchio and gave it an entertaining pantomime spin. Congratulations to Director Emma Shortall, MD Robert Massa Sanders, choreographers Emma Tempest & Donna Wells, SM Paul Harding, ASM Nick Jackson, Lighting Dan Dainter, Sound and AV Chris Beardwell and Props Helen Thomson. This amazingly strong team did not shy away and was well up to the task at hand, so together they produced a refreshingly different show. They had obviously worked tirelessly and seized the opportunity to include more unusual things, surprising the audience. At the same time, providing different experiences for the talented and very large company who wanted to be on stage.

Robert Massa Sanders brought out the best from the cast with some different choices of music that blended very well with the plot. LIDOS certainly has numerous fine singers and all the solos, chorus songs, and well-choreographed musical numbers were splendid. Thanks to drummer extraordinaire Florin Werner for adding a special energy from the pit; together with Rob, these wonderful musicians created a terrific sound. Nicely paced and strongly delivered musical numbers had obviously been well rehearsed, and the performance sound balance was just right thanks to sound expert, Chris Beardwell. The sound balance for the dialogue was also skillfully contolled so that everything could still be heard above the excited audience. Effective lighting by Dan Dainter enhanced rather than dominated, and together this experienced team made sure that everything looked and sounded just right. There were some creative embellishments for some scenes and evil musical numbers and nicely timed pyrotechnics for the villain and fairy, which added a special mysterious touch.

Every pantomime puts demands upon the set designers and stage crew to provide all the various scenes effectively while at the same time being able to keep things tight and running smoothly. Paul Harding led a hardworking backstage team who, along with his assistant Nick Jackson and crew members Kirsty Barnes, Kira Dable, Ben Holeyman, Claire Hoyland, Sophie Jones, Graham Siddle, Kelly Taylor, Matt Tempest, Alexandra Turner, Sam Watson, and Helen Thomson with responsibility for props, ensured this happened. The adventure started in a village square, then moved from forest to Pleasure Island and down to the depths of the sea via the inside of the whale and, thankfully, back home to the village.

Colourful costumes can make or break a production. Nichola Taberner and her team, including Mandi Rugg, Emma Shortall, and Tracey Stephenson, rose to the challenge of providing an interesting array of costumes. This year the Dame had an endless stream of outrageous creations for every entrance and the Pleasure Island and Stromboli ’clowns were particularly effective.

A special mention must go to the talented adult ensemble and dancers who, along with a delightful set of junior dancers and ensemble were integral to the panto's success. It was lovely to see youngsters performing ballet, and the toy scene was magical. Everyone enjoyed the special UV scene under the sea.

Among the talented principals, there were some strong characterisations of our panto comics, heroes and villains. In a true Panto-style larger-than-life performance, Mark Gale thrilled as the pantomime dame Mama Mia, playing the part with great energy. Complemented by her show son Lampwick, brilliantly played by James Preston. Together these two have developed a good rapport and worked hard to keep the audience engaged and participating, an essential part of a good Panto. This talented duo bounced dialogue and jokes off each other throughout engaging audience interaction and offered plenty of humour for both children and adults.

Clare Devine took on the central role of Pinocchio with conviction and gave a very confident performance as our hero, with good stage presence, clear diction, and strong vocals. Her walk, stance, and general movements maintained the impression of a wooden toy, and her nose was cleverly executed when it had to grow. Featuring a stance with both hands in the pockets occasionally would have made the move less obvious, but it was a clever operation.

Debra Werner made a delightful Jiminy Cricket, striding confidently and perfectly carrying out the duties as Pinocchio’s conscience. Great vocals, especially in the number Final Countdown, took her performance to another level.

James Webster gave a warm characterisation of Gepetto, Pinocchio’s creator. He was animated and maintained great energy throughout the show.

Sophie Massa Sanders in the narrator role of the Blue Fairy held everything together with sweetness and simply sparkled. This was a lovely characterisation, as she captured the audience’s attention every time she came on with wonderfully clear diction and beautiful vocals. Her poise and presence contrasted well with her opposing evil force James Sidgwick, in the role of Stromboli. James commanded the stage and simply oozed evilness throughout especially with a hauntingly evil laugh and tremendous vocals.

Tom Wilkin as Signore Volpe and Chloe Nicholas as Signore Gatto were the animal characters who worked with Stromboli to convince Pinocchio to go astray. They were a formidable pairing, and both played their roles with a tremendous amount of attitude and passion.

Annie Wright made the most of the opportunity to feature as the voice of the whale, showing off her vocals, and added a nice touch of glamour! The front-of-house team ensured things ran smoothly, and the audience was well looked after. Lovely bright programme cover and a great advert for the next show.

Congratulations to Director Emma Shortall, who realised her vision and, along with a host of talent, rose to the challenge of keeping Panto fresh and accessible.

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