The Golden Goose

Haslingfield Little Theatre's latest production, "The Golden Goose," directed by Judith Brammar and produced by Hilary Stokes, offers a delightful twist on the classic Grimms' fairytale, performed at the quaint Haslingfield Village Hall. This new script by Philippa Smith, a close friend of the society and present during the performance, provided a fresh and engaging narrative that was met with great enthusiasm by the audience.

The production cleverly utilised the story of the golden goose, a perfect choice for pantomime, with Magda, the mysterious forest elf, played by Janice Chambers, narrating the tale with charm. Anyone that touches the goose gets stuck to it and then to that person and so on - a great way to bring in lots of panto classic characters strutting around the stage and village hall to the Soca Boys “Follow the Leader”, a real ear worm.

The central character, Numpty, portrayed by Natalie Gillies, shone as the thigh-slapping hero, discovering the golden goose and embarking on a quest to save Princess Willow. Sophie Smith's portrayal of Willow, transitioning from a perpetual weeping princess to a joyous counterpart, was both touching and humorous. I really enjoyed her duet of Petula Clark’s “Colour My World” with Numpty.

The comedic trio of Lily, Milly, and Tilly, played by Maria Scrivener, Marion Campbell, and Lily Rooney, respectively, added a lively flair to the performance, particularly through their dominant roles in the chorus numbers. Harry Short's Vicar, Tom Hoeksma's Police Constable, and the comedic duo Robin Perry and Matt Dye, as Joe and Jake, brought further hilarity, with the Vicar's constant reminders of his pressing need to "you know what" leaving the audience in stitches.

The antagonists, Horace and Boris, played by Helen Brammar and Phil Chapman, delivered a humorously sinister dynamic, their duets ripe with one-liners that, despite vocals that weren’t going to win the golden buzzer, added to the overall comedic charm.

The Britain’s Got Talent scene to find the best act to make Willow laugh showcased the authority of King Freddie played by John Beresford and highlighted the skill of Dame Polly Pullen-Pints played by Andy Walker as he appeared as Michelle Visage. I got the sense from the audience's reaction that Andy might be a regular at this role and he was very funny throughout. I particular liked the choice of Bruno Mars “Count on Me” with Andy playing the acoustic guitar and the younger chorus supporting.

The younger chorus integrated seamlessly into the production through inventive mechanisms such as the ‘twitter birds’ sent out into the Kingdom to deliver the King’s message and giving a great opportunity for a dance number. These opportunities demonstrated the inclusive direction of the show and the forward-thinking of the group to nurture young talent. Special praise must be given to Jacqui Gruby as the Golden Goose, whose hysterically funny non-verbal stand out performance captivated the audience, accentuated by Terry Baker’s exceptional costume design.

Special mention must go to the backstage crew and the set design led by Paul Brammar. I was blown away by how much was achieved in such a small space. Full height side flats, two each side, that rotated to form two different scenes, covered by hessian to create a stable, luxurious material to create the castle and various other additions throughout to create a further scenes. The design was spectacular and the artistic execution was impressive. The staging of the whole panto was all well thought out, from the scenes that took place in front of the curtain whilst complex scene changes behind to the simple yet effective golden buzzer confetti falling from the sky. Congratulations to Ann O’Brien (Stage Manager) and the entire team.

Talking with Judith Brammar, the director and many other of the production team during my backstage tour after the show, I got the real sense of pride from everyone I met in both the show that I’d just enjoyed and the group and what it is achieving. It's so nice to meet a group who are really embracing quality amateur theatre and building a sense of community in the village. My wife and I left thoroughly entertained and impressed by the talent and hard work on display. Bravo to all involved!

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