Sheerluck Holmes

As I don’t live in the village of Maulden I can’t say for sure how the annual pantomime is regarded; all I can say is the young lady sat in front of me around 18 or 19 years old started to dance in her chair to the opening strains of the obligatory Booker T and MG’s “Time is Tight” probably not the coolest thing a teenager could do – that might give an indication of how anticipated this annual event is!

As with two out of the previous three pantomimes I have seen by the Maulden Players, this was written and directed by local writer Tracy Canavan Smith, so the eagerness in the room was palpable.

The set by Marion Hynes was four flats – two either side and a large one at the back – were simple, bold and colourful with strong lines clearly depicting scenes such as a Victorian street, Holmes’ parlour, a pub and the Great British Show. I say simple but it is clear to see a lot of work had gone into creating the scenes including St Pauls cathedral, a roaring fire, a library and barrels all in different scenes.  Yes, simple but very effective indeed!

The costumes were excellent and perfectly appropriate for the era of the show; well done Tracy Canavan Smith and Alison Quinn

Sheerluck Holmes and the Great British Show is a detective story telling the story of how Sheerluck Holmes and his trusty sidekick Dr Watsup foil the plans of MD to detonate a bomb at The Great British Show and prevent ‘The 3 Sombreros’ from performing.

Overall the choreography, by Tracy Canavan Smith, was well executed; there were often a lot of characters on the stage at the same time so although the space was limited it was put to good use.  Well done Tracy

Sound and sound effects provided by Jaikob Richardson were clean and on time.  Musical Director Ron Chimes opening with the traditional “Time is Tight” – Ron didn’t seem entirely satisfied with the sound of the opening music as there seemed to be a balance issue, though this was sorted by the end of the first song.

And talking of songs there were plenty of them – well recognisable songs too, such as Another Suitcase in Another Hall, Bad Moon Rising, My Favourite Things; cleverly though some of the lyrics had been changed to fit the story better – nicely done.

Hair and Make-up supplied by Zoe Barke, Emily Glanville and Lily Dawson-Smith were superbly done and complimented the show and Victorian era well.

Lighting by James Canavan Smith was, if you will forgive the pun, spot on – the scene with Mrs Hudson’s solo around the room was very well followed.

Stage management by Phil Allen and Phil Jackson were surely the hardest working team in the whole show – yes you could occasionally hear them working hard to prepare the next scenes but with the professional and relaxed approach from the cast this made for some unscripted humour too.

Sheerluck Holmes (Edward Frizzelle) captured the essence of his more famous cousin, Sherlock, well, his louder than life costumes and puffing on his pipe all helped to encapsulate the well-loved character.

Dr John Watsup (Nick Endacott) ably assisted his colleague in his sleuthing; however, he clearly couldn’t handle his liquor like the eponymous star – the scene in the bar made for some particularly entertaining moments.

Mark Sheppard reprised his role as the “Dame” – this time in the guise of Mrs Hudson – he knows how to wield his feather duster and his version of “The Power of Love” showed why he is such an integral part of any Maulden pantomime – making her presence felt in every scene – it was a  thoroughly comical performance.

The dastardly MD (Zep Tocco) was sinister from the moment he appeared on stage – he hadn’t said a word and the audience were hissing – out to ruin the Great British Show and stop ‘The 3 Sombreros’ from performing – he was clearly enjoying every moment of his evil character.

James Struthers was sublime as Mayor Johnson – a beautiful caricature of our current PM Boris; his mannerisms, facial expressions and stilted speech were so very well observed and executed – it was for me the performance of the show.

Inspector Bung (Simon Jeffery) and Sergeant Stopper (Bob Gale) provided the official policing support to Sheerluck – the scene with Mayor Johnson where they nodded back and forth at each other without saying a word was very clever.

‘The 3 Sombreros’ (Lauren Chimes, Emma Hogg and Lindsay Vickors) were entertaining whether they were introducing themselves and their very clever names or singing – this was an example of wringing every ounce of comedy out of an excellent script.

The paperboys (Madeline Ashby, Abigail Davidson, Millie Davidson And Ava Struthers) were commanding in their small but important roles,

Additional support and cameos were provided by Ethel Dungsworth (Maxine Tocco) Loose Lips Larry (Tayla Blackman) Dodgy Pete (Ben Michaels) and the chorus (Francesca Ashby, Lisa Asby, Gavin Blackman, Natalie Chimes, Charlotte Davidson, Anabelle Flagg, James Forrester , Chloe Frizzelle, Ben Jansen van Vuuren and  Rob Murphy)

What I especially liked about this show and the actors was the freedom they were given to adlib and break the fourth wall – I particularly liked how Inspector Bung overcame the problem of a missing programme and the acknowledgement of lead characters to the stage management crew working hard literally behind the scenes.  That to me shows a director comfortable and confident in her cast to cope with anything that may come up during the show.

Thank you to the front of house for their warm welcome and reserved seating – always helpful to get a good view and with a packed house that was very much appreciated.  On that note it would be fair to say the seating was particularly “cosy” – with the seats in front I would have to say too close to the row behind – I have had more leg room on a plane  – the arthritis in my knee meant there were times when I was quite uncomfortable – food for thought for next year maybe?

That said, well done Maulden Players, there are good reasons why you keep being nominated for NODA awards!

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