Red Riding Hood and the Three Little Pigs

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD AND THE THREE LITTLE PIGS, the panto features ‘Red’ a girl in a red cape, a doomed granny, a very chatty wolf, three little pigs in high vis jackets, Bo Peep and a whole host of fairy tale characters.  The evening got off to some lively proceedings with an energetic song ‘On a Wonderful Day Like Today’ sung by the entire cast and this bright and breezy start, laid the foundation for the evening. 

The front of house team was welcoming and helped patrons to find their seats easily.  Everything was ready for the production.  The hall was laid out theatre style with central aisle and refreshments available before the show, in the interval and after the show.

The set was very simple and props and costumes were used to show the scene changes, such as the bricks for the pigs building the house, flowers for Red tending the garden, the bucket for the ‘There’s a hole in my bucket’ song and a bow and arrow that provided an amusing scene.

The costumes, make-up and hair were all excellent and in keeping with the characters.    Little Bo Peep was very sweet in her dress and bonnet, Dame Robyn Hood provided many laughs, especially when she revealed her animal print bloomers!   The Wolf had a particularly effective costume and creepy make up.

The lighting was very simple, the cast were well lit and visible and there were six green lights at the back of the stage.   Some of the, mainly youthful, cast hurried their dialogue and, at times it was quiet, and so some words were lost and punchlines didn’t get as many laughs as they might have.  However, this didn’t seem to diminish the audience’s enjoyment of the show.   The cast were all engaging and clearly enjoyed their roles.   There was some audience participation and singing, and I particularly enjoyed the sketch with the shooting an apple with a bow and arrow.  While not exactly slapstick, it was an amusing moment.   

The production had a lot of good cheer as well as some more sombre, verging on macabre moments, when Dame Robyn was ‘eaten’ by the wolf.    However, she was saved to the delight and relief of the audience.   There were some good jokes, especially the wolf speaking in rhyme as well as some incredibly corny ones.  Claire Lymer played the wolf with gusto and confidence   Mia, as Red, charmed her way through the show and Lily as Dame Robyn Hood was full of energy.  There were smiles all round during this hugely enjoyable and fun production.   Well done to first time director, John Willcocks, Claire Lymer who not only appeared as the Wolf, but was Musical Director and co-choreographer with Helen Lewis.    It was an uplifting way to spend a cold, dark and miserable February evening. 

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