Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - The Panto!

I know it is easy to look smart after an event, but you have to believe me when I say I had a feeling this year’s Watlington pantomime was going to be a bit special. I had heard some whispers from inside the cast and, as the legend that is Cyril Pike showed me to my seat in the arboreal Watlington Village Hall, the programme he gave was full of clues and I was full of optimism. The Society were on a roll after the outstanding ‘Spamalot’ and the delightful ‘Noises Off’ and the cast assembled for this production (with just a couple of exceptions) was the best the village had to offer. The biggest spoiler however was the production team. Aside from the Director (more of her later) they had Ian Gooda as Assistant Director, Debbie Bennett as Production Assistant, and Becca Field as Choreographer. The young talent (Tom Tree insert own joke here) were calling the shots and together with the not- so-young talent …. knew very well what makes Watlington tick. It was dry January for me so as the lights went down I was never more ready for sober examination of the pantomime genre!

The set (design and construction by Tiggie Ellison, Tom Powell, Kevin Rooney and Richard Bennett with scenic artistry by Tiggie Ellison and Hugh Pearce) was perfection! Light and sound (Tom Powell) was very much the same, with special mention for the pinpoint starting and finishing of the backing tracks and the sound effects. Wardrobe (Judy Parsons) was so Judy Parsons, which is all the praise required! Incidental props (Mandi Field and Chloe Fennell) were plentiful and caused me no offence at all.

This production had a large cast, which I always think is a good idea for a pantomime. The chorus alone was indeed vast, containing amongst others Ellie Fradley, Philly Macfarlane and Abby Gosling, underlining the fact that Director Georgia Smith had assembled most of her peer group for this project. They were of course all completely upstaged by the wonderful Jane Pearce who still has a smile that can light up the Hall, and a square mile of the surrounding area. Choreography (Becca Field) was top notch with only the fact that the enormously watchable Miss Field was not on stage herself disappointing me. All the chorus and dancers were ludicrously enthusiastic and wonderfully disciplined throughout giving real depth to this performance.

In the supporting roles, there was good work from Georgia Steer as Fairy Flora and an outstanding characterisation from Lucy Bearpark as Mirriam the Magic Mirror who was absolutely mesmerising. Miss Bearpark turned her supporting role into one that ended up as a lot more than that! I loved the Dwarfs: Daffy (Cameron Lewis), Whiffy (Steve Brooks), Blusher (Ben Robinson), Grouchy (Ethan Robinson), Prof (Aiden Wallace), with a virtuoso performance (once again) from Allen Lord as Giggler! I know what you are thinking … that is only six. Well the magnificent seven were completed by a scene stealing performance of comic genius from young (10 going on 42) Poppy Cummings as Titch. Genius casting, remarkable performance!

In the more prominent roles, Jazz Long did a cracking job as Prince Valiant. It is a thankless task doing romantic lead in a pantomime, especially when you are also Principle Boy. Taking yourself or your part too seriously can cause the audience to mentally side-line you from the comedy. Miss Long was having none of it. Here dismissive style elevated the part into the comedy zone and part of the main action! I would have put money on Megan Abbott getting the villainess part, and I am so glad she did. Looking stunning in her long gowns, she will always be my first choice for a Watlington woman in evening wear (Ian Gooda take note). She was evil personified and the air was thick with saliva every time she came on stage with the boos echoing all the way across to St Germans.

I recognised Jess Perillo as soon as I saw her, even if the name rang no bells and I had no idea where I had seen her before. I greeted her afterwards with a rousing “I know you from somewhere” which she graciously took without showing the usual contempt I can expect from the more established Watlington performers. It transpired she had been assimilated from the Downham crew that the Director had spent time with during ‘Little Shop of Horrors’. As our heroine, Snow White, she was perfection. A remarkable singing voice and a measure of stagecraft that you just don’t often see in performers this young. It was the backbone of the show and I hope I will see her on this stage again soon.

Watlington Pantomimes never let you down. The standard is consistent and varies only between good and very good.  I have never left one with anything less than a smile on my face. It is, however, my yearly task to make mention of the lack of gags in the script and the way the comedy (and the performers) seems a little constricted. Not really a criticism but I always feel that if you gave these brilliant performers their heads ….. it could be spectacular. Well guess what, Georgia Smith seems to have (by design or by ambush) done just that. It is therefore no surprise to anyone who attended the production that penultimate paragraph honours are shared between Matt Kerslake as Muddles and Tom Tree as the dame Clarissa. The funniest bits were when they worked off, or at least around, the script but were always careful to get back on it before it got boring. Mr Kerslake is a superb comic actor and he got every single laugh out of his part as the straight man. He also played a pivotal part in maximising the comedy opportunities for Mr Tree. Just like a North Korean nuclear scientist, it is never sensible to leave Tom Tree unattended for very long. Indeed three of his non-scripted jokes were a step further up to the line than Watlington normally take, but the lady next to me was very straight laced and she needed oxygen on two separate occasions as he, and I laughed till we cried. Mr Tree’s timing is exquisite and as a double act these two were divine!

Director Georgia Smith is young, very young. The suit I was wearing was a year older than she was, and trying to corral the likes of Tree, Kerslake, Brooks etc. can’t have been easy. What can I say? She turned another mediocre script into a masterpiece and presented the village a real spectacle for the pantomime season. I extend to her my sincere congratulations, which she should share with all her cast and crew. If I had one small observation …. It might be regarding the song choices. I (and I suspect a lot of the audience) knew very few of them, and with the cast singing to backing tracks they were some of the most difficult songs I have ever seen attempted in a pantomime. Having said that the standard of vocal performance was extremely high and the amount of work that must have gone into the music was obvious! One last thing … Ian Gooda. The comedy insertions were mainly his I am sure, as was the comedy tone. I think this was a bought in script (I may be wrong) and if it was … I say Gooda, you write all of the next one, it is your destiny! My first pantomime of the New Year and this will be the one to beat in 2017!

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