The Frog Prince

Pantomime is about fun and laughter for children of all ages who attend productions with every expectation of being thoroughly entertained and this one did not disappoint.

Based on the Grimm fairy-tale, this is a delightful story brimming with traditional Pantomime favourites – a dotty Dame, a put-upon King, the good, the bad and the downright silly! In every respect, it was extremely colourful, very tuneful and packed with brilliantly well-timed comedy all of the highest quality extracting every ounce of stage craft from this brilliantly witty new script. The palace of Splendora as a magical setting.

Every pantomime has a Dame and in his portrayal of  Queen Bea, Simon Moss in an array of sometimes outrageous costumes held the attention of the audience from beginning to end, working closely with Marco the Magician which Paul Scully played to perfection with real magic!

Kevin Wing in the role of Price Frederick and Paige Phelps as Princess Marina demonstrated chemistry in stagecraft with quality vocals that in solos and duets shone through with every musical piece.

Playing Nadia and Gerda – with big pink glasses -  Val Whitlock and Gill Bowser gave strong and highly comedic performances and Laurie Weston as King Bumble in terms of physique was suitably domineered in every respect by Queen Bea.

Always a talent to admire, Alistair Jolliffe as King Cockle gave a hugely accomplished performance with diction and gravitas that again enthralled the audience. Others deserving of mention included Oliver Jaques  (Lord Chamberlain and Props)

By any standards, this was a pantomime of high quality benefiting from a thoroughly enjoyable witty script including “A frog with a man in his throat”. Also a different take on “Who is in the blue room”, “What is in the red room”, “I don’t know is in the green room” was a scene with just the right amount of dialogue without excess. Excellent musical direction and a carefully chosen selection of numbers including a very catchy audience participation section. Innovation in choreography and characterisation also provided the hugely talented young performers with the opportunity to shine.

Special praise too must be placed for the amazing set, special effects including the well and stunning costumes all combine to create a theatrical experience on which all are to be congratulated led by the inspirational production team

This certainly is a pantomime with a difference and one that future audiences are promised to enjoy.

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