Rapunzel

This was a new pantomime to me which, although written a little time ago, inadvertently, contained extremely topical references.  The line “You need to do less partying and face up to your responsibilities” might have been attributed to Sue Gray and the question “How do you sack a Prince?” could perhaps have been heard at Windsor but they are there in this Bradford and Webster script from the NODA catalogue.  Taking advantage of his freedom from royal duties and doing as instructed, Prince Frederick does indeed rescue the unfortunate Rapunzel from her captivity at the hands of her rather evil grandmother (?) and, in the process, falls in love with her and reunites her with her estranged mother. The latter is none other than the local hairdresser, whose son has been employed as the Prince’s valet. Until he was sacked, of course.      

All told, a relatively uncomplicated plot, although the fairly frequent scene changes needed careful handling by the stage crew and a clever set design by Anthony Prince with which to work. The efforts of those responsible contributed greatly to the success of the production and they deserve first mention here.  In so doing, this does not devalue the performances of the principals, particularly the many young people involved and, in the case of Ava Harper in the title role, her first pantomime. By contrast, Abbie Goodwin as the Prince is of a similar age but in her eighth appearance here. They were supported by a number of regulars led by Ryan Stocks, a veteran of 20 years with this group, this time appearing as Dame Beatrix Bouffant, the hairdresser mentioned above. The villain of this piece is a witch/potential grandmother, Cath Colman sufficiently evil to incur the right noises from the audience, aided by her incompetent assistants Bob and Streaky, played with suitable nonsense and occasional slapstick by Emma Lee and Bethany Rose Edwards. Joanne Johnson as Fairy Flora attempts to thwart their efforts and spread goodwill with her rhyming couplets, and eventually succeeds in tidying everything up. Even the King and Queen (Steve Charlton and Tina Salden) agree to allow their son to resume his royal duties.  Almost always in the thick of it all is Frankie, the aforementioned valet, excellently played by Shaun Doyle.  Having made his debut two years ago, he carried on as he had left off, in spite of last year’s enforced break, with a performance which lit up the stage at his every entrance, each one more energetic than the one before. He has a constant smile and his superb rapport with the audience is remarkable for one in only his second show.  A number of youngsters made up the chorus and servants of the Prince and I particularly enjoyed the three young dancers’ version of “Puttin’ on the Ritz”, proving that a song not far off a century old can still entertain.

The pantomime season is always guaranteed to lift our spirits and this is a group which never fails to entertain its audiences, whilst over the years raising more than £50,000 for local charities in the process. As ever, this year’s performance was well received, proving that the story of Rapunzel was an excellent opportunity for all of us to let our hair down!  

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