Sleeping Beauty

Sleeping Beauty

Performed by Danbury Players

Friday 16th December

Danbury Village Hall

Directed by Gary Jarvis & Jenny Pitcher

 

Owing to the terrible Friday night traffic, and with humble whispered apologies, I snuck into the back of the auditorium just in time to catch the evil fairy Malicia (played by Caroline Bradley) casting her terrible spell over the newborn princess Rose, to the boos and hisses of a large audience already engaged well with the drama on the stage. A Brownie pack in the audience is always a welcome addition to a panto! The set was seemingly simple, with brightly painted backdrops as expected with such a large cast on stage. However, with a quick blackout, these were turned or drawn across, providing us with an impressive array of locations, including castle walls, cottages and a wood. The scenic drops really helped to provide depth and were swiftly executed, avoiding slow and awkward set changes and clunky furniture sounds. The use of discreet mics used by the actors really added to the clarity of the sound over the rustling of sweet wrappers and joyous shout outs from the eager young audience. 

 

With an impressive, sweeping black cape and horns, Malicia embraced her evil role with a powerful voice and great presence throughout. Lighting and backdrops really added to the drama whenever she appeared. I particularly enjoyed her swinging Jazz number ‘Trouble’, incorporating some Charleston dancers into the mix which gave some those with smaller roles a chance to shine. 

Fairy Forget-Me-Not played by Paris Bone provided a sweet and ditzy balance against the dark magic, with draping sparkle and a likeable persona, however with a terrible memory which the young audience were delighted to help her with. Her young flower fairy friends were all beautifully dressed tuile, glitter and were well coordinated. 

Jerry, the comedic assistant to the Dame, was played by James Allen. Dressed similar to a well-known gaming hero, with red top and blue dungarees, he got the audience all riled up with his infamous Joke Book, and was a great asset to the action and pace. Teamed with the Dame Nelly Nutmeg, played ably by Al Pitcher, they made a great and seemingly experienced duo, despite this being James Allen's first appearance with Danbury Players. The Dame was as outrageous as every Dame should be, with a quivering voice and pout with garish makeup and a new wig for every scene, the food fight in the kitchen was my favourite. I would however liked to have a bit more comedy in there for the grown-ups in the audience. Princess Rose played by Alice Delf was dressed in pink frock and was somewhat reluctant to accept the prospect of marriage at her coming of age birthday, until of course she met the dashing young prince. Not always the most fun part to play in a panto, our leading lady held her own well. Prince William, played by Lucy Charlesworth, was a sparky counterpart to his princess, with plenty of thigh slapping and bravery amidst the peril the young couple faced. Aptly dressed with a tri-corner hat, plenty of energy and heroism was brought to the role, and the audience rooted for them both. King Boris, played by Andy West, was suitably stuck up and precocious, however throughout his entanglement with the action became a good character to be fooled by the Evil Fairy and bring more confusion to the action. He became a great addition in the second half and helped keep the pace and energy running. 

A lovely surprise in the otherwise traditional panto was 'Cheeri' played by Chloe Horrex, a walking and talking artificial intelligence based upon a very well known technology giant. With a working screen and dressed as an automaton, Cheeri spoke with great timing to the technical sound effects and was friendly when she felt like it! 

A notable scene was the classic 'he's behind you' sketch, with our heroes kidnapped one by one by an alien to the shrieks and delights of the audience. 

The singing compositions in a few of the numbers were harmonised, overseen by musical assistant Sophie Holmes, which was lovely to hear. The choreography by Grace Hyman was kept simple and was performed well by the crowded stage members, including the youngsters. 

 I loved the effective and dramatic pyrotechnics put to great use throughout the show. Danbury Players have really stepped up in recent years, in terms of pace, quality and use of well timed sound effects and scenery. I look forward to their panto every year, and I'm sure it will continue to pull the crowds, filling the village hall with proud locals. What a great asset for local youngsters to have the opportunity to be a part of. 

 

Katherine Tokley 

 

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.