Sleeping Beauty

As we’ve come to expect from Frome MTC, this was another visually stunning production with so much attention to detail in evidence. The set was beautifully crafted to create the required pantomime atmosphere, and scene changes were always slick and well organised. Costumes were sumptuous and colourful and hair and makeup was equally impressive. The lighting and sound were both well executed with some well managed special effects to wow the audience.

Good Fairy Lilac (Becky) was delightful with a wonderful stage presence and a lovely singing voice. She was expertly assisted by The Rainbow Fairies (Scarlet, Poppy, Anya and Willow). Not only did they deliver their lines clearly and confidently, they also proved to be superb dancers, joining in the ensemble with great spirit and commitment. Very well done.

Princess Rose (Tilly) gave a strong performance and sang her songs with a good energy and musicality. I especially enjoyed ‘5678’ and her duets with the prince, ‘Love Story’ and ‘Time after Time’. So too, Prince Alexis/Alexander (Phoebe) was a great pairing with Tilly, had a powerful voice and acted well throughout. Although we didn’t see much of her, young Princess Rose (Beatrice) proved a spirited performer and gave a nice rendition of the Matilda classic ‘When I grow Up’.

King Cactus (Mike) and Queen Marigold (Hannah) were suitably regal and they amused everyone with their married couple one-liners. ‘What a wonderful World’ was also excellent. Fetch (George) and Carrie (Georgia) were very entertaining as the hapless servants to the royal family. They sang and moved well and their delivery of the fast paced gags involving place names was a triumph.

Nurse Hettie Harpic (Jon) did a brilliant job as dame and had no trouble getting the audience involved and joining in from the start. There was some hilarious ad libbing and terrific interplay with Muddles (Anna) who was also excellent. She had good comic timing, great vocals and like Nettie a lovely rapport with the audience. The ‘Hettie Harpic is a Nurse’ singalong towards the end was huge fun.

Bad Witch Hazel (Dolly) was suitably over the top and fabulously evil. She had a terrifyingly manic laugh and elicited boos from the audience with ease. She was skilfully assisted by faithful sidekick Egor (Wayne) and together they performed ‘You Give Love a Bad Name’ with some nice characterisation.

The strong principal line-up was ably supported throughout by a well rehearsed ensemble. Musical Director David Hynds must be congratulated for the high quality of company singing and the musical performance generally. Choreography by Eloise Kilkelly-Doyle was visually very effective and all of the movement was well drilled and precise, matching the songs and the varying abilities within the company. Overall, this was once again a pantomime of the highest quality. Director Nicole Master gave the audience a really professional, hugely enjoyable evening’s entertainment that was fast paced, fun and full of energy. Their reaction at the end showed that they had clearly loved every minute. Very well done to all. 

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