Robinson Crusoe

This new pantomime Robinson Crusoe was written for St Paul’s Players by the Director Phillip Armstrong and it was interesting to see something different from the usual stories we associate with this type of production.

The first character we met instead of the usual fairy was Malinda the Mermaid comically well played by Jane Catterall who informed us she was not very pleased with the Director as due to traffic problems a member of the cast had not arrived and she would have to double up and play the part of Mamma Lacka the cannibal chief later in the production, a prospect she was not looking forward to at all, in fact the role was beneath her. The curtains opened for the opening number to a very colourful scene set in the harbour of Birdseye Bay.    This number was energetic and choreography by Dayna Bateman was well thought out. The action was a little slow at the beginning of the pantomime but gained momentum as the show progressed, the audience were soon joining in with the usual ‘oh no he didn’t’ and ‘it’s behind you’ in no time. Dax Owen as the Dame Kylie Crusoe and Gareth Mabon as her son Billy Crusoe both had a very good rapport with the audience and their comic timing was superb resulting in two outstanding comedic performances. Emily Morris as Robinson Crusoe was the quintessential slap your thigh principle boy and Helena Carter as Polly was a pleasing principle girl. Her Father the Mayor Maurice was played by David Greenfield who was involved in many of the comedic moments and Jack Corrigan was a very interesting and entertaining Man Friday. There were also two very good comic performances by Liam Jones as Skim and Debi Winnard as Scam and there was a nice cameo appearance by Joe Harrison as the frightening Big Bob, which was played on alternate nights by Harry Cohen, the joke is Big Bob is actually very small. The music was all by backing tracks and was a little loud at times meaning some of the singing was hard to hear, however the dialogue was very clear even with the audience shouting and laughing which meant the story could be followed easily.  However some of the chorus and dancers did not appear to know how to smile and on occasions one or two of the dancers were out of time. But this did not detract from the audience’s enjoyment and the success of this pantomime.
The scenery was very good throughout this production and Howard Bates Scenic Artist along with Stage Manager Stephen Blundell and the stage crew should be congratulated. It appeared a great deal of thought had been put into getting the costumes right as they were colourful and suited the roles well.

Well done to Phil Armstrong the writer and Director and to all involved in this production for all your hard work. Thank you for an enjoyable evening and congratulations for a job well done. I hope to see you for your next production.
 

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