Puss in Boots

This Panto is by Rob Hearn & Leo Appleton and is based on the fairytale of Puss In Boots by NODA pantomimes. This is Waterside Musical Society's first panto, and what a good job they did.

Director Wayne Reddin has a great cast for this panto, it's well cast and has just the right amount of humour and the story moves along at a good pace, lots of attention to detail and lots of work has paid off to make all the characters believable, lighting and sound is just right, the costumes are bright and colourful.

Musical Director Chris Talbot has an 8 piece orchestra and has worked well on the music with the cast to create lots of good well known numbers, I really liked 'When you Believe' from Prince of Egypt at the end of Act One, proving they are a Musical Society. I'd like to hear this again fully maybe in the next concert?

Choreography was by Victoria Sarker all the dancing and movement worked well and suited everyone's abilities and they all looked like they were having fun.

Puss in Boots is played by Hannah Worlock, she is very confident in her role of the cheeky cat and has a good singing voice I really liked the makeup of the Cat's face. Alf, played by George Tate, takes on the comedy, Puss is his Cat, and they work well opposite each other. 

The Panto revolves around the King & Queen played by Wayne Reddin and Julie Gower who work really well together and look the part, but have trouble controlling the Ogre from eating people from their Kingdom, & their 3 daugthers. Becky Coultas plays the Ogre who's really laid back, just giving out demands rather than the usual angry Ogre type, however, he has told the King & Queen he wants to marry their youngest daughter Princess Rene otherwise he's going to eat the villagers.

Helen Sanderson plays Rene really well and I liked her song with Alf (who has fallen for her at first sight) 'Happy Together'. She likes Alf too, she will not marry the Ogre but feels it's her duty to save the Kingdom.

The other two Princesses are two pantomime dames: Anthony Morrison plays Princess Antoinette and Mike Pavitt is Princess Maisonette they have some great lines and keep up the fun. I liked their song ‘Find Out What They Like'.  The Dames line up a couple of boyfriends which adds to the comedy:  Arnie played by Katie Coultas & Rambo played by Lois Parr, they are also the Ogre's henchmen.

Another great part is The Cat Warden played superbly by Christopher Wortley, who gets the audience booing in all the right places, I really liked his song 'Don't let me be misunderstood'. He never catches Puss in Boots. 

Well done to everyone.

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