Sleeping Beauty

Macclesfield hits the spot every time with how they deliver a panto!

I know this script is quite an oldie (being written by Ron Hall) but its cobwebs have well and truly been blown away with references to facebook, match dot com, current TV programmes and recent films  etc etc – this society could give a masterclass on how to put on a panto …a breath of fresh air!  

The only constructive point I can make, and something to work on is the singing, it would be to the societies advantage to invest in some good quality mic’s as the volume of the opening number let it down which I could see was down to; 1) singing confidence amongst the cast, they were all holding back and 2) battling against the band. Getting hold of some quality mics and doing a decent warm up before the show would work wonders to sort that out!

In regards to solos, my advice would be to not shy away from easy, simple songs – I so often see people in concerts and pantomimes struggle to sing a song which is simply not right for them, there is no need for it and it only shows the performance as a disadvantage to the performer as well as the audience, if your principals are not strong singers – keep it simple, the performer will feel more comfortable and the audience would enjoy it more.

Michael Daws excels in this genre of production, his energy and crowd manner as the Dame is impressive and very entertaining. His dame is always a treat and I cannot rate his Dame highly enough! It’s evident he loves it, we love it – it’s a no brainer!

Nausea played by Tori Harrison delivered the right amount of energy and it was nice to see Sheila Gaskell take a principal role. I’ve only ever seen her in the ensemble and I thought she handled the role of the Queen rather well and I particularly enjoyed the moments where she dropped the RP accent for those aside comments.

Luke Clayton was excellent as the Prince, this part could so easily have been wet but he made it appealing and with a strong vocal ability too. The ‘Rule The World’ duet with Nic Dobson was beautiful, undoubtedly one of the shows highlights. I’ve seen Luke in a few shows now but this performance really did make him stand out above his others, he is shaping up to become a skilled performer indeed! Exciting times!

The choreography has certainly been given a boost! Several points really did make me sit up and pay attention, this small dance troupe certainly played to their strengths as they performed tap, street and jazz to a high standard. Normally I despise ‘tap’ to modern music but ‘Blurred Lines’ was fantastic!

Harry Melling as Jack the Jester showed glimpses of inexperience but he managed to hold his own which was encouraging. Performing in panto with little or no stage experience is almost like a fast track / “chuck him in at the deep end” strategy to see how he copes, he will only get more confidence and gain traits of the craft with each performance, keep going!

Alec Morrell, in my opinion, is more suited to the baddie roles compared to other performances I’ve seen him in, he delivered well and has certainly found his place in pantoland!

Musical numbers were the usual mix with pop; Buble’s “Just Haven’t Met You Yet”, Pharrell William’s “Happy” and Disney’s; “Love Is An Open Door” from Frozen to name but a few.  Whilst on the topic of music, I’m happy to see you’ve welcomed a new MD who I can certainly say is a blessing! I’m certain we’ve not seen the best of Jack yet but the vitality and sound coming from the small band is the finest I’ve heard at MMTG yet!
 
Really enjoyable show! Well done Macclesfield!

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