Pirate Panto

CUDOS know the meaning of ‘Family Panto’ and this ‘youthful’ company of new and seasoned players gave their audience a mixture of fun and laughter and a parrot with attitude! Creating a magical experience for all. Storytelling and narration played a huge role in setting the mood and captivating the audience! This task fell to Water Sprite (Fiona Wyatt) as she invited us to find the clues on and around the stage to find the treasure which brought the tale to life.

Pirates were a mixed bag! Scheming evil Black Beard (Ray Norris) well deserved his Hiss’s and Boo’s! He was the quintessential Baddie! Blue Beard (Angie Eason) and Red Beard (Dave Phillips) added a new dimension to piracy and piratical work! Richard Walters was every inch a dame! Playing, Dame Cookie Crumble, his slick delivery and comic timing kept the action rolling. Providing the love interest was Will (Chantelle Souttar) and Roberta Avery (Phoebe Eddington) theirs was a comfortable pairing, not slushy! There were many other characters and minor principals who added their own unique talents to the evening’s entertainment.

This was quite a ‘wordy’ pantomime and everyone is to be congratulated for keeping the pace going. There were many references to topical events and one of the highlights of this production was the rap ‘Not the Great British Bake Off’. Choreographer, Lisa Gage created some fabulous choreography which stretched the company so complementing all abilities. Both principal and company singing were strong with good diction. Costume and Staging were superb and added to the dynamic of the show. Well done.

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