Puss In Boots

The benefits of having an in-house writer really come to the fore at Snaith and Cowick where the bespoke scripts afford so many of the group the chance to try different roles and explore new opportunities.  Writer, Director and Group Consultant Steve Boyce, brings his expertise and knowledge to the company and was supported by Assistant Director, Lynn Tupling, to get this show to the stage.

The traditional tale of Puss In Boots was given an update in terms of its players, but still retained the main story themes.  Leah Standing continues to grow and shine as Principal Girl (this year Princess Rosamund) and was joined by Melissa Sykes who eloquently played Principal Boy, Daniel Durden. Steve Brewis was very entertaining as King Carlos, who eventually finds love with Dame Dolly.  The script saw the Royal Court moving around the imaginary Kingdom which was a great way to build in different scenes and situations.  Leading the Court was Sir Sebastian Skeffington (John Clarke) who had great presence and excellent timing in delivering some very funny moments on stage whilst never coming out of character – a really great performance.  Skeffington was supported by not two, but four aides Fetch and Carrie, Bronwen Mitchell and Caitlyn O’Sullivan together with Heel and Toe, Oliver Langton and Noah Holah, who all supported the humour running through the storyline. 

More comedy was provided by Liam Tupling as Idle Jack and James Mitchell as Simple Simon – strongly supporting the whole cast with their comic lines and funny jokes whilst working hard to ensure the pace of the production was maintained.  Good and evil were found in equal measure with Fairy Sunbeam (Lynn Tupling) and Deadly Nightshade (Louise Barker) battling it out to try and be the most successful immortal in Pantoland.  Deadly Nightshade had a most dreadful son, Ogre Grumbleguts and this impressively costumed creature was well-managed by Kelvin Brook who also played Colin the Cobbler.

There were cameos from Emma Webb as Rockin’ Rita and Katie Lloyd-Neilson playing both Nasty Night and Lion.  The large Chorus did a great job with the ensemble numbers and routines.   They worked well together throughout the pantomime and it was good to see smaller configurations of the group so that the stage space could be well used and show the skills of all involved.    The routines were appropriate to each of the musical numbers and had been choreographed by Seamus McEnroe who joined the team on stage as Dance Captain. 

Steve Boyce once again topped the fashion stakes with his hugely impressive wardrobe of amazing dame costumes and stunning wigs.  As Dame Dolly Durden he entertained the audience with his sharp one liners and caustic wit.  The title character, Puss in Boots, was wonderfully played by new member Harvey Egerton who really brought to life this small talking cat with a super physicality and lovely comic timing.  This was a fabulous debut for Harvey and I hope he continues to nurture his talent and explore opportunities on stage.

The scenery was excellent with very impressive set pieces and a clever mechanism for imprisoning first the Princess, but then Nightshade who was swiftly removed from stage.  Lighting and sound were strong and costumes were stunning – it is great to see the group investing in costumes to enhance the production and also developing their storage so that items can be used again.  This original script was super for this company who continue to improve and challenge themselves with new ideas.   Congratulations to all the Production Team for a great show and to the Cast, Tech Crew along with the Stage Management and Stage Crew for all their hard work to bring this entertaining and enjoyable pantomime to Snaith.

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