The Elves and the Shoemaker

“The Elves and the Shoemaker” is an original pantomime written and directed by the talented Paul Carr. The story is loosely based on a tail written by the Brothers Grimm about a downtrodden cobbler who is given help by some elfish craftsmen to save him from poverty and it also includes some elements of the well-loved Cinderella story as well. The excellent script had all the ingredients of a traditional Pantomime and was suitable for all the age groups in the audience who all joined in helping with the magic spells (the fact there was a raspberry involved helped) they also booed,  hissed and cheered  with enthusiasm which is a very important ingredient  to the success of this genre.
There were some first-rate performances from the actors on stage with some good teamwork, spot on comic timing and a very good rapport with the audience. These included Kim Brookfield as the villainous fairy Prada, with Hannah Liddle as her sister the Good Fairy, and also Alan Levesley as the Baron, Ciaran O’Brien as the Prince and James Clow as the Prince’s Aide. I was happy to see a traditional principal boy in the shape of Rachel Brennan as Ralph the Shoemaker who with Gemma Nightingale as his love interest Anna, made a very good pantomime couple.  There was some excellent comedy provided by both the Dame -Andy Burke and an outstanding comedy duo of Laina Grimshaw-Brown and Steven Catterall as the Elves Flip and Flop who worked very well together as a team and appeared to be enjoying themselves immensely throughout the performance. The principle actors were well supported by Flip and Flop’s Elf brothers and sisters which included Sketch (Rachel Offord) Croc (Lucas Burns) Van (Charlotte Burke) Nike (Lucy McManus) Adi (Lydia Yarker) and Ugg (Myah Brookfield). The chorus performed with lots of energy and enthusiasm and along with the Elves produced some amusing characterisations of their own. Choreography by Kate Burke assisted by Hannah Liddle was energetic, suited the production and was well executed by the cast, there was also a good selection of songs accompanied by backing tracks that were well known to all age groups of the audience. The sets, lighting and sound were excellent and costumes were very colourful and just right for the production, well done to all the hardworking backstage crew.

Congratulations to Director Paul Carr for an excellent production and well done to all involved including front of house who helped make this Pantomime a success, my family and I had a very enjoyable evening thank you for inviting us.
 

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