The Little Mermaid

It was with great pride that I welcomed our local Hawick pantomime group into the NODA fold. Although I have been supporting this company for more years than I care to remember, it’s lovely to have attended this year to write their first NODA report as affiliated members and see them rise to the dizzy heights that the company have achieved in the past few years.

From the comic and zany safety announcement to the final curtain we were thoroughly entertained. The lively and colourful opening number set the scene and choreography was excellent from start to finish. The detail given to costumes and makeup, along with staging and lighting created spectacular effects which all added to the magic of a traditional pantomime.

Highly talented front man, playing an effervescent Bastian, was choreographer Andrew Shields. In his Jamaican accent he welcomed the audience with “Hi humans, what’s a crackin’!”, and he shone throughout, displaying his capable acting ability as well as his dance moves. It was also great to hear his injection of some good old corny pantomime jokes which kept the audience chuckling.

The glamour was very well covered by Ariel (Sophie Hyslop) and her besties Coral (Laura Gray), Storm (Joanne Johnstone) and Aqua (Louisa Goldie). All chosen for their roles due to their evident acting, singing and dancing ability. Very well done girls!

Dame Dusty (Zack Mundell) donned the colourful pantomime costumes with pride and owned the stage with great panache. Captain Arrgh was very well cast in Johnlee Elder, never shirking in his Cornish ‘ooh aargh’ accent with a comical touch. The sailor’s Hornpipe was very impressive as was the dramatic sinking of the ship.

Prince Derek stood tall and proud, played perfectly by Andrew McGillvary. Why wouldn’t Ariel fall head over heals for this talented young Prince? He took centre stage with the sailors to impress us with a well sung ‘Somebody to Love’. Bravo!

The wicked Octavia, (Kimberley Jeffrey), with her blood-curdling laugh gave a superb performance, provoking boos and hisses at every entry. Vocally she was perfectly suited to her solo numbers and created all the iconic drama expected from Ariel’s adversary.

Comic duo Corky (Lisa McDevitt) and Crusty (Shonagh Ferguson) were excellently cast. Their comic timing was well honed, working together like old pals to engage a thoroughly appreciative audience. They joined forces with Bastian and Dame Dusty for a hugely engaging audience participation number ‘Baby Shark’. A fantastic crowd pleaser.

Cameo roles of King Neptune (Alistair Hill) and The Herald (Lyle Murray) were both well-handled and added to the overall superb casting of a fabulous show.

There were many company highlights, with musical numbers that had the audience singing along and dancing in their seats with ‘Under the Sea’, ‘Blood on the Dance Floor’, ‘Shake it Up’ and the ‘Hot to Go’ finale.

With this excellent production team and hugely talented cast, the future is bright for Hawick Panto Group. Thank you for a fabulous evening’s entertainment.

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