Sleeping Beauty

Merlin Productions have produced another welcome pantomime, finishing the panto season off with style.   The venue is small but well equipped for the production, and the company were obviously enjoying performing. As it was half term week, the audience had a large number of children so we were able to enjoy the full-on panto experience.

All the Principals gave good performances but I would particularly mention a few who stood out.  Lisa Bolton as a brilliant ‘TOWIE’ based Fairy Crystal, she looked delightful and sounded as though she had come straight from The Only Way Is Essex show, very entertaining.   Stephanie Bassett as Chester the Jester, gave a very energetic and engaging performance in the traditional ‘Dames son’ role.  She got the audience participating and her enthusiastic and entertaining performance never faltered.  It’s not an easy part to play but Stephanie was excellent. 

Ami Roberts was suitably mean as the Wicked Fairy Carabosse and she gave a very strong performance.  Ami also choreographed the dances and the company performed them very well.  

Trevor Bavin as Nanny Dolly Poppins was all you wanted from a pantomime dame, superb costumes, excellent makeup and good rapport with the audience.  Ellie Cheevers was lovely as Princess Beauty and Emma Newman a strong and likeable Prince.   The Ensemble was cohesive and, given the young age of the majority, their stage presence was excellent.

The scenery was superb, quite technical and, given the problems that the company had to overcome, the scene changes were not over long.

If I have to criticise it is with just two things; I thought that most of the songs did not really fit with the pantomime, too modern and often in the wrong key for the performer.  So there were some suspect notes and tentative singing for some of the numbers.  The temptation to use modern or popular songs in a panto is huge but it is important that they fit in with the story and I did not get that feeling.

The other comment is with the script, I just didn’t understand the extension to the story when Beauty was kidnapped, imprisoned, threated with a dragon and rescued.  The technical aspects of this addition were not really effective and did not add to the story.   The second half of the show was quite long and I think it would have been better to have finished when the Prince woke Beauty up with the kiss and they lived happily ever after.

Having said that, the audience clearly enjoyed themselves as did the cast, and that is what Panto is all about.

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