The Girl in the Hood

On Saturday 14th December, I was pleased to accept an invitation to see the annual panto from Bispham Castaways – The Girl in the Hood.

In James O’Sullivan’s lively pantomime The Girl in the Hood, the classic tale of Little Red Riding Hood gets a cheeky, modern twist. The story follows spirited young Red as she sets off through the enchanted forest to visit her ill Granny. But trouble brews in the shadows, as the dastardly Wolf – disguised in Grandma’s frilly nightcap – plots to gobble up more than just cake and tea.

Packed with slapstick comedy, witty wordplay, catchy tunes, and plenty of audience participation, this pantomime blends tradition with tongue-in-cheek humour for all ages.

Directing duties fell to debutant Fern Crump, and for a first stint in the director’s chair, I felt that she did well overall. She kept the concept simple and the narrative clear, although I think there was more work to be done in terms of bringing the best out of her actors. Some key lines were glossed over and, at times, the pacing fell out of the show a little bit, meaning that the production ran to a hefty three hours and fifteen minutes. This felt like a very long time for the younger members of the audience, in all honesty.

One thing that I noted for future productions was how the illusion of the piece was broken before the show had started, given that a number of actors were moving around the auditorium and chatting to people pre-show. I know that backstage space is at a premium, but I do feel it’s important for the audience to embrace the world of the play fully – which is difficult to do if they’re chatting to actors in costume before it begins.

Lighting on the night was by Alan Westhead, who did a solid job in the role. Scenes were lit well and there were no jarring transitions or time spent in darkness. Colour was used effectively to suggest both location and tone.

Sound was by Cordy Jones and, although cues were largely on point, the balance in the auditorium was a little off. The music was too quiet to create the energy and excitement in the audience that a panto requires, I felt.

Technical Director Ian Fleetwood was responsible for the set design, and I felt that he was able to make a limited amount of space feel much bigger than it was. His symbolic and colourful set was effective in establishing locations and dramatic intention, and his work was commendable.

On, then, to the performances.

We were guided through the show by Harry Chambers in his role as the Narrator. It was Chambers’ commanding voice that made him a great choice for the role, and he was well-placed to liaise with the audience and drive the narrative forward. He was reading lines from a large prop book, which I have no complaints about, but there were a few dropped lines here and there, which made things slightly difficult to follow at times. However, this was a strong performance overall.

The role of the panto dame, ‘Mother’, was played by Ian Dodd, who did well in the role. At times, I felt he should have been projecting his voice more effectively so that the audience could get the very best out of his character’s sassiness and rude jokes.

The title role of The Girl in the Hood was played by another Castaways debutant, Taylor Clark, who was a highlight of the show. From the outset, she was energetic and entertaining in the role, and gave the show a real sense of fun. She is to be commended.

Another strong performance came courtesy of Nicky Alladice as Goldilocks, who really came into her own during the audience interaction sections of the show. She was particularly brilliant when working with the youngest members of the audience, whom she made feel so welcome in the world of the panto. Further to this, she performed with such a natural sense of fun that the audience couldn’t help but love her work.

Susan Hope was a touch of class in her villainous role as the Evil Queen, and the quality of her performance was on show for all to see. She exuded evil glee and commanded the stage from the outset. Her henchmen were played with flair by Ceri-Ann Corcoran, Conor James and Helen Bailey, who were obviously having lots of fun on stage, and they certainly drew some big laughs from the audience. An area for development would be pacing and projection, to ensure that the crowd really does get the best out of the punchlines – especially when they’re coming thick and fast!

Carol Crump played this show’s Wicked Witch, and her cackling crone was well-pitched for the piece. However, she was unfortunately very reliant on the prompt at the performance I attended, which prevented her from truly hitting her stride in the character – a shame.

Katie Ashworth brought a touch of class to proceedings with her noble portrayal of Prince Charming. She spoke with a clarity befitting the character and performed well in the role.

Graham Wilcock was tasked with playing Jack, and used his commanding vocal tone to help drive the show forward, whilst also giving proceedings a bit more of the pace that was required. He did a good job in the role and is to be commended for his efforts.

The supporting roles of Nana, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel and the Big Bad Wolf were played by Angela Crossley, Suzanne McEachran, Shannon Jones and Dave Austin respectively, and each added value to the show. Again, projection was occasionally an issue, but this is a learning curve and something that could be easily remedied in future productions.

Whilst this wasn’t a perfect production, and the run-time was quite challenging, there was a lot to enjoy on the day. The audience very clearly had fun, and everyone left with a smile on their face. The final act of the show wobbled and the prompt had to work hard to keep everything moving in the right direction, but there was a lot to love about the show, and lots of positivity to build on for the next one!

Huge thanks for the invitation – I look forward to my next visit.

 

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