Rapunzel

Author and Director Lizzie Lindsell had taken the rather dark story of Rapunzel and turned it into a family pantomime, which was up to date. There were some interesting touches in the story; a fairy with a high-tech wand; having a Dame with a husband; showing Rapunzel as a young child who is so lonely she develops a relationship with a small animal; and the development of the idea that Rapunzel’s tears have magical properties, which will produce an elixir of youth if collected in large enough quantity.

The sets had been appropriately designed, were suited to the pantomime and worked well. Rapunzel’s Tower was very effective, and sturdily constructed to allow everyone to climb up and down. There were some issues with scene changes several of which were very slow. The ‘mobile hairdressers van’ worked well and gave the opportunity for more silliness. The sound plot for this show was complex, with the many effects required for the wand, they were all well cued. The lighting had been appropriately designed and operated. Costumes, make-up and hairstyles worked well; the finale was spectacular. The script was ‘family friendly’, with plenty of humour to appeal to all ages. It had been written to include the wide age range in the company, giving an opportunity to two young performers in the roles of Young Rapunzel and Young Spike; with inclusion of Chestnut the Horse, beloved by all the children in the audience.  The whole cast had individual names, which had been cleverly devised, continuing the ‘hair’ theme. Helen Heath had choreographed routines to suit the ability of the performers.

There was a varied choice of songs, which were all confidently executed, and well played by the five- piece band. Musical Director Roger Winter had written some interesting arrangements, which suited the voices and produced lovely harmonies. The scene with the barbershop singers was fun, and they sang well, but it should have been shorter. The audience enjoyed the ‘chase’ and the journey to rescue Rapunzel.

Director Lizzie Lindsell had cast the show well and worked hard with everyone to develop individual characters for both principals and chorus. There were many good performances but two, which stood out for me, were Fairy Blue Rinse and Young Lady Dreadlock. Fairy Blue Rinse was a very down to earth character, handling her wonderful wand brilliantly. Although The Young Lady Dreadlock was a small part, this young lady had captured the essence of the older character, with movements and voice intonations; she truly was a younger version of the character. The transformations from old to young, after taking the potion, and then back again when it had worn off, were simple but extremely well devised and seamlessly executed. I must congratulate everyone on the superb teamwork the night I saw the pantomime. Rapunzel had a problem with her throat and was unable to sing properly, and so she continued with her actions while the songs were sung by another cast member; I am sure very few people in the audience realised there was a problem. Going by the audience participation, I think they found the Pantomime enjoyable.

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