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Last Years show was another great success
The
Advertiser
Friday, February 3, 2006
 Snow
White
The Pantoloons
****
RHYMING couplets, a great
dame, a charmingly tuneful Snow White and some ingenious twists and turns made
this year’s show jump up several notches in comparison with last year.
The tale veers only slightly off the traditional path but for good reasons, the
sets were apt and colourful and the musical director David Starbuck and his
tuneful musicians brought a professional touch to the many songs which were
sprinkled in short bursts throughout the show. The rather jazzy overture to Act
II was superb!
Director Nick Frost evolved a pacy production using a combination of new talent
and old pantaloon stagers. Among the new kids on the block was Caroline Rodgers
who breathed realistic life into her Snow White, did more than justice to her
musical numbers and really graced the stage. Vicky Morris, erstwhile principal
girl, matched her enthusiasm as Prince Michael — great legs in spite of the
script saying otherwise!
Beautifully dressed with a wicked laugh, Jane Swale’s Queen Maligna was
elegantly evil and earnest in her desire to be the most beautiful in the
kingdom.
Elegance is not the word for Dame Goodheart whom Simon Vines made homely while
still delivering jokes just the right side of impolite.
Inoffensive and fun was his repartee with a selected male in the audience —
Thursday night’s Dave took all this in good part.
Just as Maligna made her entrances from the “baddies” side stage left, so three
traffic light fairies monopolised stage right. Poppy, Dandylion and Greensleeves
were the comic trio who moved the tale along. Neil Tunbridge and Phil Wright
making the most of their lines but Chris Henley’s body language added even more
to his role.
The role of young Chamberlain, Alonzo, called for a variety of acting talents,
well supplied by Gareth Heale, and Graham Burbidge brought slightly more
controlled comedy than in previous pantos, making Chuckles the court jester, a
real favourite.
The magic mirror, personified by Duncan Thnbridge, brought forth more couplets,
strongly delivered with a dry wit.
The seven friends whom Snow White meets in the forest were a women’s lib team of
Silver Miners, dressed to kill in satin with wonderfully whacky matching wigs
and, of course, toning handbags. Janet Hughes led the team as Psycho, but Itchy,
Bitchy, Sweaty, Sleepy, Bloated and Forgetful all added to the humour and pathos
of the cottage scenes.
Clever transformation work transformed Maligna in an instant into a grotesque
old apple-seller with Chester Stern making much of his brief appearance.
Ballet dancer Megane Frost opened the whole show and smiling and agile dancers
from the Doris Holford Stage School then danced on. Their evil spirits danced to
In the Hall of the Mountain King, which was eminently spooky.
Of the musical numbers, One from Chorus Line was well delivered by the ensemble
and Snow White’s Whistle While You Work with integrated tap dancing made a great
solo.
Everyone on stage looked as if they were enjoying themselves the audience
certainly did and hopefully gave generously to The Pantoloons charity collection
for the NSPCC
Theo Spring
The Croydon Guardian link
The Pantoloons
ALTHOUGH not suitable for
aficionados of the traditional tale, the show suited the Pantoloons’ slightly
off-the-wall style.
Around the bare bones of the tale were woven a number of sub-plots giving rise
to roles as American tourists, witches, a TV game hostess, a flatulent pig and a
huge spider.
The one-serves-all set was colourful, with props used to change the scenes, and
the costumes team under wardrobe mistress Barbara Dent were excellent. Simple
skirts added to a black leotard changed the graceful team of dancers from the
Doris Holford Stage School into daisy chains, witches etc. leaving them able to
do justice to the imaginative choreography. A mix of live and recorded music,
mostly upbeat songs from the sixties, kept the show moving along, with Hilary
Baily musically directing a small team of musicians.
Dandini was given star treatment by a laconic Phil Wright whose role was a sort
of friendly bodyguard to the footy fanatic Prince Charming, played with gusto by
Angie MacLean. No king or queen commanded a ball where Charming could wife-hunt,
so it was fortuitous events took place on Halloween, with a Halloween Ball in
the palace diary.
Of all the whacky additions to the script, we could now understand why Fairy
Godmother Wanda’s powers would end at midnight, when evil came into its own.
Wanda herself looked charming and tried hard with her spells, one of which
turned her into Cilla Black for the not-really- necessary Blind Date sketch
where the slipper eventually fitted the right contestant.
Far from being diminutive, Simon Vines was a larger-than-life Buttons, holding
the show nicely together whatever beset him. Sadly, he wasn’t in love with
Cinders, possibly because she was a gung-ho feisty young lady (Vicky Morris) who
only just managed for fall for Charming.
So affectionate were the Ugly Sisters that they entered first in a huge, single
dress, but we soon found that Lavatrina (Tony Dent) and Potterina (Chester
Stern) could be as catty to each other as to Cinderella. Their mirror sketch was
cleverly done and they conformed to traditional type.
Their mother, Zelda, was artfully devious
Theresa Hallahan on top form, whether as mother, stepmother or witch. As the
latter, her own sisters, Trick and Treat, were the knockabout equivalents, in
the good hands (and green faces) of Jane Swale and Kate Nash.
Neil Tunbridge could be found under the pig skin, wearing an excellent head made
by Jon Howell and Nick Frost rushed around as the aforementioned animated
spider.
I found it hard to come to terms with the transposed goodie and baddie sides -
evil. should be stage left and good, stage right, but we did get an
almost traditional transformation scene and fairy coach too.
Although too long —
two hours is ideal for a panto —
Director Ros Thnbridge kept her audience guessing and Producer Keith
Hughes added his now expected technical touches.
Theo Spring
Friday, February 4th 2005
Puss-in-Boots
CROYDON ADVERTISER 6th February 2004
The Pantoloons "Puss In Boots"
Was
it fate which decided that Walking in a Winter Wonderland would be the first
chorus number for the show? Opening night was hit by snow and curtain-up
delayed. But 'the show must go on' and Pantoloons read-In admirably for missing
cast. In spite or maybe because of the transport difficulties and the cold,
everyone was out to make the most of this happy show.
The
young chorus introduced themselves, excellently choreographed by Karen Hilliday,
as cats.
This
agile group from the Italia Conti School of Dance have to be the best Panto
dancers I have seen this season.
More
agility brought on adult chorus members on roller skates, in lovely skating
costumes.
The
traditional tale of Puss in Boots was reasonably submerged in the script, with
some original additions to the cast such as Oswald the Ass (Ros and Neil
Tunbridge), a gypsy queen and young gypsy girl (Sheila Urban! and Vicky Morris),
a Woodcutter (Keith Hughes) and a Cobbler (read-in by Graham Burbidge).
Although
not bereft of music, songs were kept to a minimum as singing was not a cast
strength, but the special effects for Ogre Blunderbore (Graham Burbidge) were
intriguing and very effective indeed.
Knockabouts
Gilbert and Filbert were in the good hands of Chris Henley and Stuart Scott and
Angie MacLean made a softly spoken but dashing principal boy.
Jane
Swale brought sparkle to her role as Puss. but her many costume changes rather
confused things.
Nick
Frost and Tony Dent made a wonderfully OTT pair as Queen Gertrude and King
Ferdinand, and their two daughters, Kate Nash and Theresa Hallahan. graced the
palace scenes.
The huge
page-turning book used as scenery brought about speedy changes and the show was
bursting with old and new jokes.
Directed
by Janet Hughes with Elize McBeath as Musical Director. The Pantoloons continue
to give their profits to charity.
By
Theo
Spring
2003 "Frankenstein the Panto"
For More Information Contact:
Pantoloons
906 Brighton Rd, Purley, Surrey
Tel: 07092 376958
FAX: 07092 172269
Internet:
pantoloons@blueyonder.co.uk
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