TROUBLE IN PANTOLAND

There was much to commend this youth production, which gave the large cast the chance to each have their own part, to which they gave their all.

I liked the use of the different cloths and stage props to keep us in the loop with regard to where the scenes were placed, with excellent lighting to enhance the feel of the piece.  I felt sound went a bit awry at times, but was mostly good.

The music was mostly well-chosen, however there were certain songs that would have been better shortened, I’m thinking Amelia and Robert’s duet, it is hard at such a young age to hold a love song, and as they were static it would have had more impact if it was shorter.  I always advocate keeping songs in productions with a panto feel down to the minimum, otherwise the audience’s attention strays!  Choreographically I liked the fact that it was lively and the cast were able to perform the dances well, regardless of their ability.  A few less straight lines would have added a little more interest, but overall it worked well.

Costumes were good, colourful and suitable for each character.  I thought more attention to the quality and suitability of costumes had been used.  Attention was needed to some of the girls hair – the long strands hanging down over their faces resulted in them fiddling with them all the time, which detracted from their portrayals.

Alex Greaves (Wizard) gave the part a great deal of attitude and encouraged the audience to react, very well done.

Two young people who shone and showed their experience, were Freya Mullen (Widow Twankey) and Angel Bayliss (Number 1).  They both showed loads of facial expression, attacked their parts with gusto and gave full-on quality performances.

Niamh Tillin (Wicked Queen) brought a nice degree of nastiness and regal bearing to the part, nicely achieved.

I thought Sophie Robinson looked comfortable in her part of Snow White particularly, creating a nice character, with Faith Kenny (Sleeping Beauty) and Rosie Williams (Cinderella) giving us a striking trio.  Sophie also appeared in a group with Amy Rogers (Crone) and Hermione Caller (Maiden) which was nicely performed by all three.

Matilda Dowdall (Amelia Sweetheart) gave us a charming character, interacting well with her two suitors –  the dashing Joshua Stone (Frog Prince Robert) and diffident Morgan Wiltshire (Bert Butterfingers).

Tristan Hall, along with Charlie Gadsden, Maddison Price, Ryan Holgate-Sutherland, Sam Tillin, Amanda Lawson and Jessie-Jay Barnes fulfilled several roles each, with energy, whilst Eloise Urquhart (Mirror) made an impact, particularly in her last speech.

Lola Brady and Molly McHenry were the youngest performers on stage and did well, a note for their next performance would be for them keep their delivery a little slower.

I felt there were some places where the pace and expression dropped a little when some of the performers were not necessarily in the spotlight, whilst other performers acted their socks off the whole time!  It was good to see several first time performers to TADS Teens.

Overall a bright, lively production, with some excellent performances.  My thanks to TADS Teens for their hospitality, another enjoyable production.

Nova Horley

NODA Representative - NODA East District 3

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