Rapunzel

RAPUNZEL by Bradford and Webster tells the story of a beautiful young woman (Rapunzel) who lives in a high tower. A wicked woman, posing as her grandmother, imprisons the young beauty there and denies her access to the world outside. The woman is the witch Gothel, who tells sad stories to her captive to make her cry. Gothel then collects  Rapunzel’s tears, which she drinks to ensure her own eternal life. Preposterous? Yes, but that’s panto!

The set was well constructed and beautifully decorated with many scenes ranging from the inside of the tower to the Royal Palace and the woods. The props were numerous and well used including the trolley for Dame Trixie’s salon on wheels and the mop and bucket used for the classically predictable, but very well executed, laugh-out-loud slapstick scene with Trixie, Bob and Curly.

The hall was laid out in theatre style and this layout had a central aisle giving access to the stage and also enabled some of the cast to engage with the audience; in particular  Frankie, well played by Tristan Quittenton.

The costumes were stunning and plentiful. They were of the highest quality and fitted well. Dame Trixie’s hair colour and style seemed to change with every appearance and Fairy Flora had a gorgeous floaty dress with glossy wig. Witch Gothel’s costume deserves special praise and her wig with sparkles was the perfect complement. The King and Queen were suitably regal and Prince Frederick looked very much the thigh slapping part complete with tunic, fishnet tights and boots. The chorus were beautifully dressed in matching green velvet dresses or rich blue and gold suits.

Silchester veteran Tim Oliver faced a few challenges along the way, namely cast absences through illness and a variety of logistical problems - but it didn’t show. The principals all gave assured performances and confidence exuded from the stage. The energy of the cast was reciprocated by the appreciative audience. Alan Birdsworth as Dame Trixie was in fine form and ridiculously funny in his pursuit of the Captain of the Guard, played by a wonderfully expressive Alan Moorhouse. There was great chemistry between them and this was a running joke that worked well. Gothel’s two hapless attendants, Curly and Bob played by Joe Williams and Amy Keighley, made a first-rate comic duo, showing intuitive mime skills and comic timing. Julia West, as Rapunzel, was charming, delighting us with her lovely voice, and the witch Gothel was deliciously wicked to the very end!

The lighting and special effects were put to good use, including the projection of a moving clock to show the passage of time. Further IT and ingenuity were used to good effect to portray Rapunzel’s prison tower. The external features of the high tower were also a projection. A curtain on stage allowed access to the ‘base of the tower’ and the clever use of backstage enabled the cast to reappear ‘at the top of the tower’ through a window at the back of the stage. This worked really well. The use of UV lights on the dancers who opened the second half was also effective.

Some high energy songs were belted out with confidence and enthusiasm, including “Shut Up and Dance with Me” and “You can’t stop the music” and, of course, the children in the audience loved joining in competitively with the song Intzy Wintzy Spider.

Well done all and this will go in the books as another great winner for Silchester Players.

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