Sleeping Beauty

It was my absolute pleasure to be able to join St Augustine’s Repertory Society for their annual blast of a Pantomime, this year the popular Sleeping Beauty written and directed by member Iain Pearson and very ably assisted by Rebecca Jowett.

Firstly I want to give huge praise to the production team for not only recognising the youth talent within the group but also to have the trust to cast most of the Principal roles from within the youth ranks. It wasn’t a brave choice, it was a very sensible one from what I saw tonight, and have seen over the years. Alongside a huge cast they brought endless amounts of fun, energy and great Panto life to the story.

The bravest move of this production is to remove very key elements of your traditional Pantomime and not have a dame or a “silly” billy style character in the show. At first I thought it might remove a lot of the comedy but this was provided by other roles in the famous story. The only thing that perhaps suffered slightly was that element of audience interaction as despite the great singalong at the end and a lot of booing at our wicked queen, we, as an audience, were a little quiet. Perhaps something to look at in a future script.

Let me be clear this did not detract from the overall production. The scenes moved along at a great pace with no messy scene changes, the sound balance from the lovely live orchestra never drowned the songs, the lighting and effects from CDB group were brilliant and despite some of the scenes being a bit long and wordy the pace never once dropped.

The show opened up with some lovely narration delivered with great expression and clarity from Oliver Kitchen and Abbie Coady with Abbie in particular demonstrating great control over the pace of her lines, a very tricky skill to master. Some clever silhouettes of our King and Queen set up the story ready for the grand curtain opening which took us into a brilliant stage-packed and lively rendition of I Gotta Feeling with lyrics cleverly written all about Panto. 

Now we all know the story, the King and Queen's daughter is cursed and on her 18th birthday will fall into a deep sleep only to be woken by love’s true kiss. The twist on this script is her 18th birthday party would see a number of eligible Princes attending to try and win her love. Our King and Queen were played by the flamboyant Damien Wynne and strict and frustrated Melany McNiff. Damien was wonderfully over the top only to add to Melany’s annoyance, a double act that worked well and they both did well to navigate through some big sections of script. 

It is at the party reveal where we were introduced to the majority of our main characters. Izzy Pearson was perfect as the sleepy Princess Asnora, being passed around from Prince to Prince and utterly defiant in her wish to marry. Her mannerisms and regal behaviours mixed in well with a feisty teenager and she also looked the part perfectly. 

Trying to keep Asnora and most of the household, and indeed the plot, on track were our wonderful trio of housekeepers/maids/fairies/godmothers/future brides. So many strings to their bows and every scene with them in brought joy and light to the story. Huge well done to Carol Keen as Dawn, Stephanie Lamb as Fawn and the stunning Mandie Young as Yawn. Each lady gave so much passion to their character each with an individual charm. Lines were delivered with lovely comic timing and the visual gags were played out well.

Almost in the background of the plot and certainly not in terms of stage presence we had the wonderful Evangeline Wright playing Sir Knickers, or Snickers to his friends. Madly in love with the princess himself yet aware of her need to marry a Prince, Snickers dedicates himself to serving the royals as the last remaining Knight of the realm. 

Behind the scenes, as with all good Pantomimes, is a deep and dark plot brewing and our Mistress of Mischief was the amazing Aine Rochester playing the role of Melodrama. Aine absolutely owned the stage and for someone in their late teens absolutely commanded the role and every scene. Most actors take on baddie roles late in their Theatre journeys as it is a hard trick to master, being straight faced and wicked whilst managing control is not easy yet this wonderful actress managed it with ease. Her snarls were wicked, the glares cold and piercing and her lines delivered with just the right amount of anger without going over the top. Her vocals were delivered brilliantly in the Act Two finale, So Many Ways To Curse It, surrounded by a hoard of evil shadows and looking magnificent on top of a huge giant tiered birthday cake. 

Now Melodrama’s plot is to get her son disguised as a Prince and ultimately win over the Princess, with the aid of a magic potion obviously. At her command and performing her wicked deeds were our wonderful comedy duo of the night. Anth and Wreck, played by Jemma and Steve Warren were an absolute hoot from start to finish. Steve was a right handful as the stupid and hyperactive Wreck delivering more facial expressions than a snapchat filter. His awful one-liners countered fantastically by the grumpy and stern-faced Jemma who was not only trying to juggle Steve’s chaos but also the ridiculous scheme. These two bounce off each other like a bickering married couple (ironic really!) and the scene as Bill and Ben in their life size flower pots a real show stealer.

Our suitors to the Princess were real stars of the show. Prince Albert played by Scarlett Springhall was a joy to watch as the geeky academic and slightly awkward Prince. Trying to woo Asnora with knowledge and facts Scarlett didn't drop character once with her squeaky voice completing the characterisation. I couldn’t stop thinking of Harry Potter each time she appeared with the glasses giving the Harry appearance and the mannerisms really reminding me of a certain Hermione. A really lovely delivery of a great fun role.

If ever a part was made for an actor then Alfie Webster was born to play Prince Sebastian. The suave self-obsessed and incredibly vain character was perfect for Alfie with his great stage presence and charisma used to great effect. His lines were delivered with a cocky and confident swagger and he really played the audience and ensemble to great effect.

Now the out of place suitor, Ricky, was played by the simply brilliant Hannah Connor. Out of place as Melodrama’s son and completely out of his depth when it comes to wooing and courting Hannah was amazing in the role. Dressed in leather jacket and rock-style chains Hannah gave a great edge to the role, the lip curls and raised eyebrows blended in perfectly with the almost sulky and nonchalant line delivery. As if her acting wasn’t perfect but this young actress also managed to deliver an outstanding rap in the finale and the Prince’s Trio Bang Bang.

What a great number this was for the Princes. With an individual verse of the Jesse J song each and with lyrics changed to match their characters all three not only showed off great vocal ability but were backed by their own individual and matching outfit dancers brilliantly choreographed to make a smash hit number in the show.

In fact the choreography throughout was really cleverly planned with the whole ensemble working together to show harmony in the moves across the stage. The opening number and finale are great examples of keeping the moves simple yet by doing so creating a lovely picture on the stage. Huge well done to Choreographer Erika Lofthouse on putting together some lovely routines. You’d clearly worked hard with the cast as all of your big numbers were slick and polished.

One number that needed no dance moves as the vocals were all that was required was a beautiful and again cleverly re-written version of Make You Feel My Love. This Adele mega-hit was absolutely mastered by our Knight Evangeline Wright. What a beautiful texture and tone to her voice, the balance and power really well handled with lower and higher ranges equally impressive. The passion in the song was perfect leading out of the song where he would wake our Princess and their love be confirmed.

Stars Pantomimes have not only become really impressive for their fabulous lead characters but also for a really strong ensemble. Many of the young ensemble are all ready for their spotlight and they all came together to create some really good scenes. The Bar room scene with Bartender Jeff Surma leading a chaotic version of I’ve Got a Dream, the Tangled classic number. It is lovely to see everyone on that stage having an absolute blast and a special shoutout to George Richardson for his cameo appearance as Prince George and to Freya Warren and Abbie Coady for helping lead the audience sing along. Both girls got everyone involved with great energy and beaming smiles, I even joined in with the movements!

Every Stars Panto is a huge team effort and the work that goes in must take over their lives. The costumes were yet again outstanding with Yawn’s outfit a particular favourite for me. The set and scenery were really cleverly designed maximising the space and all of the little details and props were bright, bold and colourful. Perfect for a Pantomime.

Massive well done to Iain and Rebecca for putting together a really tight and well polished performance. The energy throughout was fabulous and most importantly everyone was really enjoying themselves, audience and cast. 

It is always a real pleasure to join you all, such a warm and friendly society and although I know you are losing a few members, good luck with University and your studies Girls, the quality of your company will ensure that Stars continue to deliver fabulous community Pantomimes for many years to come.

 

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