Sleeping Beauty

Thank you for your kind welcome to your performance of Sleeping Beauty. It was great to see that those of your society that were front of house had dressed appropriately for the performance.

We were welcomed to a closed curtained stage with steps down to the auditorium floor and a building with Durden on one side and a shack on the opposite. We, later in the story, realised that one was connected with Jack and the Beanstalk and the other with Red Riding Hood.

When attending a performance that has original script and songs it is fascinating to see how the story of Sleeping Beauty could be adapted. David Ivall, I feel did this successfully by including in the original tale two other pantomimes Jack and the Beanstalk and Red Riding Hood. All the original characters you expect were included in their own little vignettes as well as scenes where they were incorporated in the whole cast. The song words fitted in well with the characters and scenes of the performance and were well played by Peter Smith.

The stage set was cleverly constructed with beautifully painted backcloths. The use of a hinged beanstalk stage left worked well and the action on the stage was cleverly used to distract its movement, well done. Appropriate props were used throughout the show and moved around the stage by the members of your cast. I especially liked Daisy she was beautifully painted with a lovely expression and managed extremely well by her handlers. I enjoyed the quips about her having to reverse. To control the movements of a puppet takes skill and Jack managed the recalcitrant Goose with dexterity.

The lighting was relatively simple but enhanced all the scenes. It was great to attend a production where mics were not in evidence and to be able to hear the vast majority of the text clearly. Congratulations you obviously spend a lot of time teaching clear diction and projection to all your members.

The costumes were brilliant, all well-fitting, period when required and colourful. I appreciated the fact that each separate group seemed to have its own style. I especially liked the wolf costume is was inspiring to use the actor’s own beard with a half mask, he looked truly wicked. Congratulations.

The singing was tuneful and well-rehearsed, all those involved in the chorus numbers smiled, knew they words and the basic movements enhanced the songs.

In the Royal Palace in Faraway the King (Colin Groom) gave a confident regal performance and tried hard to control his stroppy daughter Princess May (Abigail Holmes) who was constantly attempting to get her own way. Her song ‘I want a boyfriend’ was beautifully delivered. Both gave good performances.

The forces of good Melisend (Charlotte Padmore) and evil Mafalda (Chris Breach) were played convincingly by the two actors.  I particularly liked the comments connected to traditional pantomime traditions. Griselda (Hannah Moorfield) aided Mafalda believably even though she got over enthusiastic and had to be removed from the stage.

The palace staff were clearly and calmly controlled by the Chamberlain (Malcolm Grimsley) with his assistant (Jasmine Lennard). The other members of the staff were delightful, they were well drilled and confidently moved from one position to another on given cues. The chief guard (Grace Macindoe) tried her hardest to control her troop with varying degrees of success. The little blond-haired guard had brilliant timing and caused her many problems. The other staff members of the palace were well played.

The story then moved to the Deep Dark Woods where we were introduced to Dame Durden (Sally-Ann Gretton) who looked the part but appeared a little nervous, she became more confident when appointed to her new role in the Royal Palace. Her abandoned son the slightly dour Jack (Megan Johns) interpreted the part with confidence, congratulations. The two village soothsayers were played by Cora (Olive Hilton-Meadows) and Flora (Sophie Woodrow) they predicted the worse outcomes to all the scenarios with a smile.

We were then introduced to Red Riding Hood (Bethan Robinson) who was outstanding. She had excellent stage presence and spoke and sang with conviction. She led the scenes she was in and interacted well with the villagers, animals and was a clever foil to the Big Bad Wolf (Mark Breach). His portrayal was excellent but he was out manoeuvred at every place by the clever Red Riding Hood. Granny (Anne Lejeune) created the ideal little old lady as expected but showed a different dimension to her character when she travelled to Faraway. Lastly, we were introduced to the singing Prince Cyprian (Megan Laval) whose song became a real ear worm. The part was delivered with real regal presence and a total belief that a match would be found. Congratulations.

I enjoyed the pace of the show with all that was happening at the Royal Palace and Dame Durden’s and Granny’s houses. You were constantly focused on one area of the auditorium or the stage and the first half flew past. I did feel that the pace slowed a little in the second half when the action appeared to focus more on the complete cast and the demise of the giant. The finale had a lovely twist when everyone as tradition dictates expected Princess May to marry Prince Cyprian but ended up marrying Jack after her father had retired and made him a royal following the speak, “In the real-world commoners can marry princes but not in panto’s fairyland.”

This was an excellent production delivered with conviction by all those on stage. The director had obviously taken time to teach stage craft to all those actors, from the youngest to the more mature. Ever member of the cast knew where they were expected to be and when and their next movement. The diction was clear and they had been taught the correct timing following a funny line, a skill which so many do not have. There were lots of laugh out loud moments which the audience appreciated.

Thank you all for a great evening’s entertainment.

 

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