Puss in Boots

I have seen many pantomimes over the years but somehow missed “Puss in Boots”. It does not seem to be performed as much as some of the other well known names. I discovered that this is a shame because Littlehampton Musical Comedy Society did a terrific job of an evening of pure pantomime, with all its necessary ingredients.

It started with the good element, Fairy Story (Janet Webb) who acted as narrator throughout the proceedings. The evil Lord Roger (Stuart McAdams) is convincingly played when he appears later in the action. The Royal party are King Herbert (John Carroll), Queen Mildred (Justine Hargraves) and Princess Alice (Tegan Prior).  The two parents were well matched and their cleverly written dialogue and their characters were well portrayed. The Princess was a no nonsense but gentle person and interacted perfectly with  her  parents; took no rubbish from the evil lord and acted with excitement and emotion on meeting Jack (Jade Berry). Jack was one person who gave us the element of one-liner jokes and dreadful puns. Also in this category were Nosmo & Nopar King (Ellie Bennett & Gavin Karkovskis). These two gave us the slapstick part of the show. No pantomime is complete without a dame and in this story it is Dame Hettie-Quette (Jonathan Groves). With the usual many changes of outlandish costumes and much interaction with the audience, this was superbly achieved and enjoyed by children and adults alike. The title character, Puss (Marie Ball), was the backbone of the plot and provided the brains and wherewithal to ensure a happy ending for the Princess and Jack. This was an enchanting role and was enacted with enthusiasm, ability and feeling (or possibly fe-line).

The music chosen for the production was varied; for me a very enjoyable mix; played by a band of four making a brilliant all-round sound; accompanied by some complicated choreography in some numbers. I thought the opening song in act one was very strong and put us in the right mood and the UV scene in act two was extremely entertaining. The scenery was bright and cheerful and the extended stage areas well used for the trips through the forest.

Congratulations to all on stage, backstage and production team for a thoroughly wonderful production.  

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