Noda Review January 2016
Once again my visit to this Company brought my first Pantomime of the season, and it certainly compensated for the wet night outside. This is always a Community event involving all ages, well supported by the local community, with references to the local community in it, plenty of opportunity for audience participation and a good, fun evening.
Once again the backstage crew had provided some excellent sets for the show. The backcloth for the Palace with the staircase had brilliant perspective, to start with several people around me were unsure if it was painted or if they really were stairs. At the side of the staircase was the magic mirror, an ornate frame which had lights on the inside, with what looked like clear perspex with a black curtain behind, which Mirror Mirror came through when she spoke to the Queen, it was very effective. Also the backcloth for the dwarves’ cottage was excellent. The effects for the x-rays in the Doctor, doctor scene were clever.
The lighting had been well designed; it enhanced the set and costumes and helped create the tension in the `evil’ scenes, such as when the Queen ordered the death of Snow White, and when she was poisoned. The follow spot was well cued and operated. The costumes were colourful and combined with make-up helped define the characters particularly the unmistakable Snow White, wicked Queen and the dwarves. The dwarves’ beards looked good and enabled them to speak clearly. The make up for the little pigs was excellent, again enabling them to speak unhindered. I liked the costume worn by the wolf, a suave suit and hat with ears, tail and paws.
As always with this Company’s Pantomime there was a large age range of performers. They all entered into their roles with enthusiasm and enjoyment. The cast worked well together capturing the attention of the audience and keeping the action moving. The Narrator had a good rapport with the audience, delivering his lines in a way which made them respond to him, so ensuring plenty of audience response later on. Snow White was delightful, there was a tongue in cheek moment from her when mention was made of her being 16, but having a slightly older, more experienced actress in the role brought added depth to the character. She worked extremely well with Prince Harry, a suitably thigh slapping principle boy, and their duet was lovely. The Wicked Queen was a strong character exuding evil with every utterance, and deserved her unexpected demise of being sucked into the mirror. In complete contrast we had the gentle father of Snow White, her rather hen-pecked husband, who was totally unaware of the way she was treating his daughter. Nanny of course was very `motherly’ to Snow White and delighted the audience with her many unsuitable outfits. The making of the birthday cake with Chef Red Tomato, Chef Green Pepper and the Little Chefs worked very well, with all the Chefs performing confidently, and were completely unfazed by a small child in the audience who started crying. Mirror Mirror did an excellent job of keeping the Queen informed of who was the fairest. The woodcutter showed he was afraid of the Queen, but found what she asked of him wrong, a good portrayal. The Wolf was a cameo role but so much went into it. The Three Little Pigs were impressive; their timing was spot on. On the night I attended one of them was unable to appear, so another member of the cast who had learnt the lines at very short notice had taken on the role. If I had not been told I would not have known there was a replacement, apart from the fact he could not wear the `pig’ make-up as he did not have time to put it on and remove it before appearing in his other role. The dwarves all lived up to their names in their portrayals. Everyone had worked very hard both with acting and singing.
This was a well-written script from Tony Domaille, which was just the right length for a Pantomime. It was a traditional story with a few interesting additions; full of jokes that the audience liked, and plenty of opportunity for the audience to join in. Jon and Kelly Domaille had cast the show well, made sure that all the fun and humour were brought out of the script, and the small stage was used to full advantage. This was an evening of good family entertainment, enjoyed by everyone who was there. WelI done everyone.
Written by Tony Domaille
Directors: Jon and Kelly Domaille