The Magic Wishing Well

Kingsley Players kicked off their 50th anniversary year with their home grown pantomime, ‘The Magic Wishing Well’, written by resident musical director, Arnold Ashbrook, who was joined by Jo Oultram and Pauline Higgins as the directors of the pantomime. This was an original story, including much loved and recognisable fairy tale characters. The set was relatively simple, allowing for a large playing space for the performers. The use of projections as backdrops was good, allowing for quick scene changes. The backdrops used gave the impression of storybook illustrations, adding to the fairy tale aspect of the pantomime. There were some delightful moments included in the projections, such as Grizelda flying across the sky on her broomstick before crash landing in Fairyland. It would have been great to have her enter with a broken broomstick! The wishing well was a neat concept allowing for the children to climb into it and exit as if going down the well. The sweet dropping tree was a nice bit of stage magic. Simple, yet totally effective. The rest of the set comprised of tree stumps stage left and right, the magic tree stage right and a smaller tree stage left. The transformation to the palace was good, with portraits hung stage right and a drinks table stage left. Balloons and tinsel were added for the party scene. Scene changes were well managed, with some scenes taking place in front of tabs to ensure that longer scene changes were done efficiently. The pace throughout the production was generally good, and the scenes flowed well. Entrances and exits were good and varied.

The musical director was Arnold Ashbrook, who played alongside Steve Powell throughout the production. Arnold had written the songs, which were catchy and helped move the story along. The vocals from the cast were generally good. The younger cast delivered their songs very well. There were some nice hints of harmony in some of the ensemble numbers.

Jen Deakin and Pauline Higgins were the choreographers for this production. The choreography was simple, which meant that the entire cast was able to perform it. There were some nice actions to the songs, which were well thought of.

Technical elements were good throughout. There were a few opening night niggles, including the projector that didn’t come in during the opening scene, but this was soon rectified by the technical team. There were some good sound effects used throughout. A note for the cast (especially the younger members) – wait for the sound effect to end before saying your line. Some lines were lost due to this. The sound balance between the musicians and cast was good. Some of the cast were mic’d during their songs, which helped with the clarity of the singing. The lighting was good with a nice use of colours, especially the movers in the party scene. The lighting effect on the tree during the magic spell was good.

Costumes from Joan Barker, Madeline French, Pat Manby and Lesley Silcock looked good. From the outrageous stylings of the Ugly Sisters to Grizelda’s red costume, the costumes helped transport the audience to Fairyland, creating instantly recognisable characters.

Valarie Ball played Grizelda Graddlestick. It was clear how much fun Valarie was having on stage in this role. It was a great performance and Valarie delivered a strong, convincing character, as the reformed witch.

Rachel Horton, Darcie Spruce-Guy and India Ball played Rachael, Peter and Lucy respectively. They created a nice family unit as they travelled to Fairyland to try and stop the Sicilian maffioso. They were all confident in their portrayals.

Barnaby Bradburne played Jack (of Beanstalk fame). Barnaby had a good stage presence and delivered some very good vocals. His performance of his songs was very good. Just be careful of your blocking. There was one moment where you were stood behind Ethel the cow and the audience could not see you!

Sue Elliott was great as Jack’s Mother. Sue had the brashness and boldness of a typical pantomime dame in this role, and had some great interactions with the audience. Her physicality and facial reactions added greatly to the comedy.

Molly Cummins did well as the Prince. She created a good character, and made a good attempt at interacting with the audience, which is a difficult skill for anyone, never mind a teenager! Well done.

Miriam Lucke gave Cinderella a new twist, which was nice to see. She was confident in what she was doing and delivered her song well. Just work some more on your lines and be more confident in them!

Christine Lee and Sally Batty created a very funny double act as the Ugly Sisters. They were suitably over-the-top and flirtatious, creating some great comic moments. If anything, push the flirtatiousness with the audience even more.

James Partington and Paul Horton created an equally funny double act as Luciano and Harry, as the comic bad guys. There were nice characterisations from both, with James as the leader of the duo and Paul taking on the dim-witted other half. They worked very well together.

Bethia Horton was suitably confident as Colonel Short. She was assured of her lines and delivered them very well, with great clarity.

Keith Boswell delivered a good performance as Old King Cole, particularly when he appeared as Elvis! Keith’s vocals were pleasing.

Charlotte Walker, Emily Deakin, Luciana Gibson, Megan Triantis, Lily Quarterman and Charlotte McLaughlin did well in their ensemble roles and their fairy tale characters. They delivered their number (‘Live in Fairyland’) well, with great confidence. Luciana impressed in her role as Red Riding Hood, full of confidence and sass.

Jo Oultram and Pauline Higgins appeared in minor roles throughout, including as Gnomes. These were delightful cameo appearances from both Jo and Pauline, adding to the comedy of the pantomime.

Overall, this was an enjoyable production. The younger members of the cast impressed, there were some nice double acts, and the staging was simple, but effective.

A big thank you to everyone at Kingsley Players for their kind invite.

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