CINDERELLA

Little Waltham Drama Group at the Memorial Hall

18.01.11

As the Group embarks on its 40^th year, they've revisited the first panto they ever did, the classic Cinderella.

Many things have changed – keyboards, lasers – but three members of that original show were involved again this time, and of course the plot and many of the jokes are untouched by progress.

Susan Butler's fun-packed production succeeded not because of the music – though we did appropriately reference Mr Cinders and La Cage Aux Folles – or because of the book. Many of the best laughs came from the busload of Buttons fans in the cheap seats at the back. And from the spontaneous script embroidery which ensued. Inveterate ad-libber Richard Butler met his match this year in Gordon MacSween, [more than a touch of Dame Maggie about that one] a spicy Masala to his dodgy Tikka – tandoori puns were a feature. Another welcome newcomer was Karen Allen, who played a sweet Cinderella, coping coolly with the improvisation around her. Her thigh-slapping Prince, in modest fishnet, was Salley Abrey, Karen Wray was the mentor Fairy Godmother, and Jenny Broadway was a dragon of a Baroness. More classic panto turns from stalwarts Gill Haysham as a daffy apprentice Fairy, Brian Corrie as a doddery Dandini, Ken Little as a brilliantly bashful Buttons, and Glyn Jones as Baron Hardup.

Nothing impoverished about the production though, with the costumes especially stunning. If the transformation scene had to happen out of sight in the car park, we did at least have before and after pumpkins in pride of place either side of the proscenium.

Musical Director was Chrissy Gould – the show's greatest hits were the Uglies' Duet Nobody Does It Like Me, and an impressive piece of  “follow that!”, the timeless Moon River.

photograph: Peter Travell

ALADDIN

One From The Heart at the Civic Theatre, Chelmsford

19.12.10

A traditional family pantomime – whatever that means. No smut, no soap-stars. Custard pies and chorus boys – a dying breed these days. A mangle, good and evil right and sinister, a dame, but no principal boy – another dying breed. And plenty of well-worn wit: 1954 was quoted on stage – that was I think the year of my first trip to professional panto, and I'm not arguing.

I'd heard great things about their magic carpet, and it lived up to the hype, with Chris Carswell’s East End Aladdin, lit by the on-board light source, balancing and singing One Moment in Time as the rug pitched and swayed through the darkness.

Simon Aylin's script also deserves a gong for the most tortuous topical/local gag – rhyming Nick Clegg with Ivory Peg.

Star of the show for us was Harry Morrison's chunky Genie, giving his all in Rhythm of Life. Good work too from Nathan Guy's little boy Wishee, Natasha Jayetileke's sultry Jasmine and Michael Cantwell's Abanazer, with his “bad guy facial hair”. A gruff, gritty Dame from Richard Earl - “You can talk to me, you know, I'm not a DVD ...” - who lit up the stage as soon as he strutted on.

Lots of good music – standards, show tunes, including Good Morning Zanzibar and Mummy Mia – the orient, in this new script, stretching from “Ancient Arabia” to Egypt for an enhanced interactive ghost routine. The MD in the pit was Ben Kennedy; I enjoyed his megamix finale, encouraging the youngsters to get on down [St Anne's, Trinity Road, Scallywags and Kiddicaru were in the stalls with us], and the lifetime's worth of singalongs - from Bob the Builder to Go Compare – in one glorious medley. Not to mention a seriously silly Twelve Days of Christmas, with custard pies and rubber chickens.

Best Civic panto for a while, I'm told, and it was certainly a hit with the youngsters, who scrambled for sweets and squealed as they were squirted in the water battle. But it did lack the angle, the edge, which would have made it memorable for me ...

HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME

St Andrew's Youth Fellowship

Sandon Village Hall

20.02.10

Close behind Waltham's Frankenstein in the preposterous panto stakes, comes SAYF's Hunchback, a very long way after Hugo and Disney.

Produced and directed by Peter Ellis, it featured ultra-violet dancing skeletons in the Catacombs, talking gargoyles, as well as valued traditions like the competitive singalong and the flying sweets, and the best panto exit line this season: “See you later, boys and girls, I've got to get ready for the hanging ...”

The original music had been replaced with bankers from Broadway – Avenue Q, Oliver, Fame, Hairspray, and a little more appropriately, Les Misérables.

Sophie Cooper had a lively personality as Gringore, and Laurence Green was the dame again, this time busty patronne Fe Fe La Large. Katherine McKeon looked great as the gypsy Esmerelda, and sang and danced well, too. My favourite number, though, was the duet by Molly Harris's Yvette and Jessica Moore's Quasimodo.

The beautiful set - Notre Dame in grisaille – was by Adam Delf, and the Musical Director was James Tovey.

This annual fund-raising panto is a welcome reminder of the days when all youth groups – and many others – would work for months to put on a show. Long may it thrive, but could we have something a little more traditional next year ?