The Sword in the Scone

How exciting was my evening with the WAGs of Whitkirk as they were at last able to bring a pantomime to eager patrons, starved of live theatre for two years!  It has been such a hard time for all amateur and professional theatre and the problems are still ongoing - these were all cast aside as an exuberant company brought us a new and different pantomime - and one that will be seen many times by other companies in the future, I am sure.

Based loosely on Arthurian tales, the story centres around a poor boy named Arthur who suddenly finds himself the King of Camelot - throw in some well-tested panto antics - a bit of slap-stick, love interest and larger than life- scones!  Yes, Arthur did pull the sword out of a giant scone rather than the stone of the original story!

The cast may have been small but each performer played their parts to the full, it was a real team effort.

The part of Merlin was played confidently by Connor Houlton - he was also the Narrator - his dialogue was strong - I heard every word. Dressed to look like Gandalf in Lord of the Rings, he strode about the stage in true comic fashion, trying to persuade Arthur, (Matthew Jackson) to take on the role of King. Matthew always gives a strong performance and can carry a tune with confidence. Louise Norbury-Robinson had shed the Principal Boy boots to take the Dame role - her character, Phyllis Glass, was the sexy owner of the local hostelry and Arthur's mother - she was excellent in this role and her performance was spot-on - she made  the most of her dialogue (plenty of double entendres!!). The 'Wicked Witch' role fell to Emma Thomson as Morgana - beautifully costumed and with a wicked laugh, she was able to hush the audience with a look and with her fabulous vocal range. We had quite an assortment of Knights - I just loved the names!  Nick Jackson as 'Sir Glance a Lot', Helen Thomson as 'Sir Jest', Keeley Row as 'Sir Vive' and not forgetting Claire Williamson as 'Sir Prise' - who revealed herself as a 'lady knight' - these were all strong actors and provided plenty of comedy. Heather McDermott played Lady Guinevere  prettily and her duet with Arthur was magical.

I must mention the three Chorus members - Kate Bentley, Charlotte Blundell and Anna Deane - they were good supports for the lead characters.

The production was smartly directed by Laura Harvey, who made the most of the small stage and the Musical Director was  the talented Louise Norbury-Robinson. Choregraphy was in the safe hands of Charlotte Jackson. Laura Harvey and Claire Jackson were in charge of Costumes, which were authentic and colourful. Stage Management was in the professional hands of Andrew Thomson and his hard-working team - the lighting and sound was extremely well balanced, consistent and appropriate - and I have to mention Keith Speight who did a great job as the dragon.

WAGs have a friendly team Front-of-House - it all added to a lovely evening's entertainment!  I was very fortunate to be seated next to the Author, Steven Yeo, who had travelled to Yorkshire from Bristol to see the production - I do hope he went back West with lovely memories of a true Yorkshire welcome and a fabulous interpretation of this pantomime - I will add my congratulations to you all - and I can't wait to see your 70th Anniversary show next year - so glad you kicked Covid aside to bring live theatre back to Whitkirk!! 

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