Red Riding Hood

 

Chrysanthemums

Red Riding Hood

6/1/23

As we enter the New Brighton Floral Pavilion auditorium the stage is set, music is playing, the scenery is set, it’s make-believe time! Time to embrace the child inside us all and just sit back and enjoy the show that is about to be performed in front of us. After all this is a Chrysanthemum’s pantomime. Their version of this dark tale has a few extra surprises, we have folk law hero Robin Hood and the wonderful three little pigs. Not to be outdone we have the essential panto villain, the sly fox. We are in for a blast!

This panto comprised all the main ingredients of a family panto, we have a man in a dress playing a woman, we have a woman slapping her thigh playing a man, we have audience participation, aplenty, we have song and dance, terrible jokes and the first dozen rows of the audience showered with sweeties! We had base humour and toilet jokes, a serious underlying message about the cost-of-living crisis and a nod to all thing’s fairy tale! The Chrysanths production team as always have produced a fun, family panto, which their army of fans will adore.

It’s a fairly well-known fact that the Dame is the real star of the pantomime and the performance as Granny Trott from Terry Davies is further evidence to this. His skilful encouragement and management of audience participation and his comedic timing was a pleasure to watch.  The scene when Granny Sprout has a picnic involving The Sheriff (Phil Gilroy) Snatchit (Jed Flowerday) Grabbit (Graham Leigh) and Simon (Stewart Rooke) is so clever and absolutely hilarious. A quick mention for Friar Tuck (Dave Alcock) the mystery food thief. Congratulations to all involved excellent performances. The panto Fairy is wonderfully played by (Freya Beresford) such a lovely voice loved ‘Rainbow & Me’. Granny Trott keeps pigs, Hollie Kane, Lily Nugent and Freddy Rooke, who are looked after by her son Simon (Stewart Rooke) lovely performance from these talented young actors. The Sheriff employs Snatchit and Grabbit to abduct Red Riding Hood (Kiki Inchboard) who is living with her Grandmother Granny Trott. The Wolf (Leanne Burgess) is in cahoots with the Sheriff, to eat either the pigs or Red Riding Hood. A great villainess performance from Leanne, loved her rendition of ‘One way or Another’ a very talented actor.  Enter the hero Robin Hood (Laura Jackson) together with Will Scarlet (Charlie Delaney) a perfect duo, their duet ‘I’ll be there for You’ was full of energy, strong performances here. We meet Robin’s love interest Maid Marion (Jessica Nixon) who befriends Red Riding Hood, and confides her love for Robin, lovely gentle sensitive performance.

 

Compliments to the very creative production team, you got the content and balance just right, choreographer Rebecca Gardner did a fabulous job managing over forty young singers/ dancers this is enhanced by the fabulous set built by Jed Flowerday, Sherry Green and Phil Rochford. Praise must go to the Directors Julie Delaney and Graham Leigh and their creative team such wonderful costumes, thanks to Sheila Weaver and her team.  The lighting was innovative, added atmosphere and, at times, created magical moments

The small but talented band directed by Norman Scott was perfect, never overwhelming the performers.

A wonderful Chrysanths pantomime, thoroughly enjoyed by your audience. Meeting you all at the interval was a delight and it was lovely to see how proud the acting members are of those ‘behind the scenes’ and rightly so.

Great Chrysanths finale everyone on stage to celebrate a charming production its exemplary cast, and is a magical show full of fun. And of course, their anthem ‘This Time Next Year’

 

Joanne Rymer

NODA

District 4

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