Rapunzel

It takes a company like Startime Variety to remind you of how much hard work, free time and love is put into Amateur Dramatics. This show was my first experience of Startime Variety and hopefully not my last. I was instantly surrounded by a group of hard-working members of the company on, off and back stage and this was a true pleasure to observe. I also had the pleasure to meet one of the founding members, Christine Davenport, who was present for this particular night’s performance of Rapunzel. 

I was pleased to learn that Rapunzel had been written and produced by one of the young cast members, Holly Mills. It is a hard job writing a Pantomime and considering the young age of Holly, the script had moments which demonstrated some skill in formulating a story and a great attempt at some classic action and dialogue. I believe it was a real collaborative effort with the cast and everyone in the production team who helped shape the show and bring it to the stage. 

The majority of the cast were young females yet they did not look out of place with beards  for their male characters! I understand, possibly due to the lack of male members in the company, that the traditional Panto “Dame” was not so traditional with the part being played by a female, this was a shame but did not matter too much. Incidentally the only male actor in this show looked like he was having a whale of a time surrounded by girls! 

There were some wonderful moments throughout the show with some of the best  happening naturally when the cast relaxed and united. Unfortunately, establishing the tone of the show at the beginning was tricky. The pace of the action even though at some points lively, sometimes felt a little forced. There were moments when the cast tried to interact with the audience, and this did prove difficult due to a combination of factors. Yes, the audience were an enthusiastic crowd, but some dialogue was lost through weak delivery whilst other lines were delivered with domineering dynamics. There were at times some technical difficulties with quality in sound levels and microphones cutting out which occasionally was a little distracting; but all the cast really did impress as they were extremely professional in handling these and won over the audience with their performance. 

Most significantly, the energy went up a level towards the end of the show leading up to the finale. This part of the show in its very essence felt very much like a Panto and it left me wanting more. 
I am looking forward to seeing skills and confidence continue develop over time. Personally, I would love to see more individualised character development, some slapstick moments, more smiles and a consistent energy level akin to the finale. Thank you very much for the invitation and for the very lovely welcome and hospitality. 

By the way, it took me a long time to get “The Vengaboys” out of my head. Thanks for that! “LOL” as Rapunzel once said!

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