Rapunzel

When the church hall lights went down and live band played an overture the scene was nicely set for the curtains to open and reveal a static and pretty colourfully painted set with brickwork in Panto style, the show opened with a bright chorus number, and a noticeably young chorus.

The plot of the panto was introduced by the Dame, hairdresser Trixie Bouffant played by Lee Rodgers with the panto style corny jokes punctuated by the percussionist, followed by Dame’s son Frankie (Emma Oldfield), playing the servant to Prince Frederick, Principal boy (Jayne Kempen), and the character to get the audience to respond to her entrance every time.

The arrival of Fairy Flora the Godmother was highlighted by a nice lighting twinkle effect and played by a young Lauren Micklewright with the normal panto style rhyming prose.

The baddy for the Panto was Rapunzel’s captor the Witch Gothel, played well by Ruth Hamblett, who achieved good rapport with the audience, getting plenty of audience response “boo”s and accentuated by the green lighting to add evil effect.  The comedy duo was Bob and Curly, the delinquent henchman for the Witch ably played by Jo-Anne Smith and Alex Duncan, the village idiots that the audience took to their hearts.

Rapunzel played by young Emily Hancock was the young girl sitting in the tower with the hair trailing out of the right window giving a nice stage effect of cross stage to left window climbing up the external tower.

There were a few issues with some of the show delivery, but the script was interspersed with local topics, Trump and mannequin challenge, also with songs for the various cast members all supported well by the live band, nicely balanced to the varying voices. There was also typical panto humour used: the slap stick scene custard pies, the comedy scene with mops, the its behind you scene with a giant spider, audience song competition and a little of the panto argued responses. The costumes were very colourful, and well suited to their parts, the royal couple particularly lavish, and the forest man-size spider also well done.

Overall 100% effort was given by all the society to give the audience a pleasant theatre experience, refreshments, charity support, cast members and crew, and the evening was enjoyed by the audience. 

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