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spotlight
Somerset
Drama’s
Online
Magazine
February 2015
Charity No.
1084863
David Beach Nominations
Announced
The David Beach nominations have been announced for productions that took place throughout 2014. The presentation evening will be on Saturday 14th March, once again at the County Cricket Ground in Taunton, a venue that has proved both successful and popular over the years. The host for the evening will once again be competition moderator Ian Hurdman with coordinator Di Dean on hand to make sure everything runs smoothly. Ian Hurdman and Di Dean at last year’s awards evening
As ever, the winners remain a closely guarded secret until they are announced on the evening, but all the nominations are available to see on Page 5. Dates for your diary in 2015 Saturday 14th March 2015 David Beach Presentation Evening Somerset County Cricket Club Saturday & Sunday 21st/22nd March 2015 County Drama Festival Warehouse Theatre, Ilminster In this month’s Spotlight…
News Committee Cuttings Keeping in Touch by Sam Allen The David Beach Nominations Protecting the Young Shakespeare in the Garden by Upstager CHOICE – good or bad by Sue Pomeroy Reviews What’s On 2 3 4 5 8 9 12 14 22 Saturday 30th May 2015 Cinderella Awards Evening Winter Gardens, Weston Super Mare Saturday 19th September 2015 The SFD AGM Venue to be announced Saturday 10th October 2015 Phoebe Rees Diamond Jubilee Awards Ceremony The Shrubbery Hotel, Ilminster Submissions for Spotlight welcome.
To [email protected]
By 21st of previous month please.
All entries are welcome: letters, What’s On,
comment, articles, photos etc
1 Original Playwriting
Competition update
Despite the availability on the SFD web site of the shortlisted scripts from the 2014 competition, sadly we’ve had no takers from existing affiliated groups for performing at the County Drama Festival in March. We do have one potential production however: Jefrey Pirie (author of I’d Like to Believe in Angels) is intending to get his own script performed. Entries have now closed for the 2015 County Drama Festival and you will find details elsewhere in Spotlight. Original Plawriting Competition coordinator Pam Hillier said, “I’m getting nervous because, after many years directing, I’ve been persuaded to tread the boards once again and will be appearing in the Cherry Bakewell’s production of Semblance of Madness – all fingers are firmly crossed.” After the Festival in March, the results of the Original Playwriting Competition will be published in Spotlight and on the SFD website, and then we’ll be starting on the 2105 competition. So get writing….. Winter Gardens to Close
The Winter Gardens in Weston super Mare will be redeveloped as a law and professional services academy following a successful bid by Weston College to secure £14.9m for the project. The venue was chosen last year for the popular Cinderella Trophy Awards evening but it means that this May’s awards ceremony will be the last to take place there. Competition coordinator Pam Price is already on the lookout for an alternative venue for the 2016 ceremony and is hopeful to have secured an alternative spot in the near future. The team is keen to retain the cabaret-­‐style format where guests are seated at tables with a buffet supper at the interval. There are very few suitable venues in Somerset capable of hosting the 400 people who usually attend this event. But Pam is on the case! Date for your diary! Just a reminder that this year’s presentation ceremony is on 30th May at 7:30 at the Winter Gardens in Weston super Mare. Full details will be sent to clubs at the beginning of April. Playwrights still
wanted to bring
Yeovil’s history to
life!
In December we published details of a competition being run by The Friends of Yeovil Country Park and South Somerset District Council’s Countryside Service. It is not too late to enter. Full details are in the December edition of Spotlight but we have a correction to make. The email address for submissions is [email protected] and not as we printed. The challenge is to write mini-­‐plays on one the following themes: 1. Creation or maintenance of the Yeovil Railway – 2. Creation of Ninesprings Valley Gardens 3. Visitors to the Victorian Jubilee Celebrations 4. Planting of Lime-­‐trees on Wyndham Hill 5. War-­‐time Adventures 6. Leather-­‐dying and the Dodham Brook It is a great opportunity for local playwrights to challenge their skills and have their work used in a very public arena. The closing date for the competition is 22nd June 2015 so check out the details in December’s Spotlight and get writing!
Chairman Down Under
SFD Chairman Philip de Glanville has headed to Australia for six months, leaving the stewardship of the organisation in the capable hands of the vice chairman, Di Dean. In his absence Sam Allen will update the SFD website so he should be advised of any alterations. Sherry Briggs and Roger Price will continue to manage their bits of the website, keeping membership, What’s On and the photo gallery up to date. 2 Committee Cuttings
The SFD first committee meeting of 2015 took place on 6th January at Ruishton Village Hall. It was a well-­‐attended event with three of the four new Member Reps taking their seats for their inaugural meeting in the role. Ann Brolly, David Jenkins and Mike Linham were there representing the South, North and East of the area respectively. Hilary May (Member rep for west Somerset) sent her apologies as did your reporter. I was moderating the pantomime at Minehead so these notes are gleaned from the minutes of the meeting. Finances
Treasurer Nigel Strawbridge was also absent so the financial report was presented by Pat Sollis. Generally it was felt that the accounts were on track although monies are due from membership fees and some Cinderella entries. Membership
On 1st January some £825 was still outstanding from group subs. Membership Secretary Sherry Briggs is following up with groups and at least £150 had been pledged and was on its way. Philip de Glanville has been contacting groups and trying to update club contact details and he and Sherry will liaise to ensure contacts are up to date. Original Playwriting
Pam Hillier reported that one of the authors would like to present his own play at the County Drama Festival. County Drama Festival There have been five entries so far including one youth play and one for the Original Playwriting Competition. David Beach Competition
The Presentation Evening will be at the County Cricket Ground in Taunton on 14th March. After discussion it was decided that 16s and under should have discounted tickets at £20.00 and the ticket price for everyone else will be £28.00. Cheques MUST be received a week before the presentation evening. Cinderella Trophy Competition
Twenty-­‐four pantos have entered the competition. Sam, and Pam are meeting sometime in January to discuss the presentation evening;, which is to be held on Saturday 30th May at the Winter Gardens, Weston s Mare. Phoebe Rees Competition
There have been 12 entries so far and the half year moderation meeting will hopefully take place at the end of February. The new adjudicator, Dave Walsham, is doing well; however, one of the adjudicators will be away for six months. The Future
There was long discussion about the role of the Member Reps and the future of the SFD in general. Encouraging clubs to go and see other peoples’ shows and reinstitute training, were discussed. County Drama Productions will be relooked at, especially as it involves many groups coming together and therefore achieving awareness of the SFD. Raising profile – Is the term “Fellowship” old fashioned? It was generally felt that it was a good word to have and described adequately what the SFD is trying to achieve. Radio profile? – Mike felt it would be a good idea to replace what Freddie had been doing, with a monthly slot on BBC Somerset. Facebook presence – Ian and Mike felt Facebook is the best tool for social media. Ian is happy to look at this, with the possibility of getting Spotlight onto Facebook; it was decided a sub-­‐committee would be formed, to include Mike, Sam, Ian and chaired by Di, hopefully toward the end of April. Club programmes failing to mention SFD – Mike felt groups needed to be given the correct information; therefore Ian has kindly offered to send a statement to co-­‐ordinators which can be included on the competition entry paperwork; clubs can then include this on their programme, this will also include a Black & White SFD logo; the wording suggested will be as follows “The SFD supports and encourages drama etc. ....” . Philip suggested that the moderators’ should write the “Press Release” for competitions as they have the overview of the competition. Next Meeting
Tuesday The 17th March, 2015, 7.30 pm Ruishton Village Hall 3 Keeping in touch
How do you want to find out about the latest news in Somerset drama?
By Sam Allen
How do you keep in touch? Keep up to date with the latest goings on? What is your preferred way to catch up with the news, or read the latest gossip? When the SFD started out, and when Spotlight was first published, there was really only one way to keep in touch. By mail. Not email, of course: snail mail. So in its earliest incarnation, Spotlight was a hard copy, printed off and then sent, in duly addressed and stamped envelopes, to all members with a copy for every member society. Back in those days I was a member of a village club and I well remember Spotlight being handed round. Since most people held on to it for at least a few days and sometimes a week or more, by the time it was passed to me it was usually several months out of date. But even at club level in those days there were only two options for keeping in touch: phone or by announcement on club nights. Back then I think we were better at planning; we had to be. If we arranged to meet somebody it had to be at an agreed location and time because we didn’t have mobile phones to make last minute changes. Communications were slower and life was subjected to less change as a result. Sometimes we may hanker for those slower, and somewhat calmer, times. But there is no turning back the clock. Today we live life at a faster pace and the multi-­‐
faceted communication streams mean we keep in touch with many more people and are adept at keeping ourselves in the loop of ongoing activities. Emails replaced the phone calls, the online edition of Spotlight replaced the printing and posting and the website allows the SFD to put all its information in the public domain. But time moves on and even those at one time innovative changes are now old hat. Today we have Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp and who knows what will be next on the horizon. And Somerset Drama has to keep up. So we are looking at our means of communication to see what we can do to improve it. SFD Membership Secretary Sherry Briggs carried out research and found that 54 out of 122 of our individual members are on Facebook. She said, “There are probably more who have more private profiles or go under names I do not know.” As far as group membership goes, it seems that those without a Facebook page are in a very small minority. Sherry said, “A large proportion seem to use it as a means of communicating with their members.” She added, “NODA, AETF and seemingly other large Am Dram organisations all have a Facebook presence.” So it is against that background that the SFD is investigating how to best update its means of communications. We are acutely aware that we have a wide demographic and that not all members are au fait with modern technology so, whatever we do, it is unlikely to be a wholesale shift from one form of communication to another, but rather an evolution where we develop new techniques and in time drop the older ones. For a while we continued to post out Spotlight to some members but over time this practice drifted away. And while some people embrace Kindle, others love the feel of a paper novel in their hands and find the new technology off-­‐putting. It may be that for up to the minute news, details of new shows, auditions, competitions and other information, a monthly online magazine is not the best medium. For that perhaps we ought to turn to Facebook or something else. But for other articles and reviews, maybe the magazine format will remain the favourite. That is what we aim to find out and we will be considering it over the next few months. What do you think? What is your preferred form of communication? How can we best suit your needs and those of the other members of your drama group? We’d love to hear from you so we can fit your ideas into our future plans. 4 The David Beach Nominations
They’re out! The adjudication team all this year’s certificates are correct so if you spot any spelling errors in the list of awards below, please let her know as soon as you can. She can be contacted on: [email protected] has met and the nominations for the David Beach Awards have been decided. The full list of nominations is shown below. Competition Coordinator Diane Dean is keen to make sure Best Sound Ian Fisher King And I BAOS Society Hello Dolly Frome Graeme Renson Addams Family CLOC Juniors Northern Lights Jekyll And Hyde YAOS Best Creative Lighting Eric Lukins Sound Of Music Benham Academy Of Dance Andrew Whiting When Midnight Strikes Exit Stage Left Will Plenty Wizard Of Oz Spellbound Mike Best And Joseph Brown High Society Cudos Octagon Team Jekyll And Hyde YAOS Pete Magor And Pete Tilke Jesus Christ Superstar WODS Best Effects Kevin Stratton Singing In The Rain Wellington Society Frome Our House Tom Scott Jesus Christ Superstar WODS Michael James Or Chris Horseman The Addams Family Sunshine Productions Best Props Society Singing In The Rain Wellington Society When Midnight Strikes Exit Stage Left Debra Wendy Gould The Addams Family Sunshine Productions Mary Westlake And Co Jesus Christ Superstar WODS Carol Watkins The Show Must Go On Genesis Best Stage Management Tina Berryman Music Man Cats Craig Bennett Brigadoon CLOC Simon Coghlan-­‐Forbes A Little Night Music Tickenham Michael James The Addams Family Sunshine Productions Ollie Day Wizard Of Oz Spellbound Russell Scott And Crew Jesus Christ Superstar WODS Kerry Peters High Society Cudos Best Set Not Hired Society Brigadoon CLOC Andy Marchant And Dave Sims A Little Night Music Tickenham Becca Long And Andrew Whiting When Midnight Strikes Exit Stage Left Jane Watkins The Addams Family Sunshine Productions Joe Rockett Rent At Tachhi Morris/Blakehay YMTC WODS Jesus Christ Superstar WODS 5 Best Costumes Pat Sims Gail Chubb Georgina Edwards A Little Night Music Sound Of Music King And I Winn Barrett, Karen Mills, Janet Payne Pirates Of Penzance Carolyn Stacey Wizard Of Oz Marjorie Prescott And Rita Trott Addams Family Best Youth 16 And Under -­‐ Female Ella Ferris As Fredrika A Little Night Music Ruby Sowden As Tinkerbell Peter Pan Bethany Perrins As Ruth Pirates Of Penzance Jaimi Bartlett As Gabriella High School Musical Astrid Bishop As Dorothy Wizard Of Oz Freya Perrins & Sophie Adams As Annie Annie Erin Damon As Morticia The Addams Family Adele Croxall As Poppy Jones The Show Must Go On Best Youth 16 And Under Male Brandon Filler As Prince Chululongkorn King And I Dan Boulton As Valjean Les Mis (Schools Ed) Ricky Enoch As Gomez Addams Family Brandon Headford As Lucas Addams Family Lennie Stanford (11) As Gavroche Les Mis (Schools Ed) Isaac Lewis As Pugsley Addams Family Best Youth 17 -­‐21 Female Francesca Fallows As Maria Sound Of Music Felix Harkness-­‐Jones As Mdme Thernardier Les Mis (Schools Ed) Becky Lockyer As Eponine Les Mis (Schools Ed) Katy Williams As Wednesday Addams Family Best Youth 17-­‐21 Male Luke Buckley As Polic Sergeant Wind In The Willows Jamie Shepherd As Uncle Fester Addams Family Ben Hardy-­‐Phillips As Joe Casey Our House James Matthews As Uncle Fester Addams Family Best Cameo Linda Roberts As Mdme Arnfeldt A Little Night Music Joe Griffin As The Butler Wind In The Willows Blair Ruddick As Pilate Jesus Christ Superstar Kevin Withers As Joe's Dad Our House Andrew Armstrong As Mr Goldbury Utopia Limited Lauren Leslie As Daisy Dogood The Show Must Go On Best Female In Supporting Role Karen Pankhurst As Mother Superior Sister Act Bev Priest As Lizzie Stride Jack The Ripper Beth Swan As Lina Lamont Singing In The Rain Theresa May As Irene Molly Hello Dolly Alison Houslander As Miss Darbus High School Musical Kerianne Davies As Dinah Lord High Society Naomi Riglar As Emma Carew Jekyll And Hyde Abi Lockyer As Miss Rosie Hope The Show Must Go On Tickenham Benham Academy Of Dance BAOS Oppitts Spellbound CLOC Juniors Tickenham Dreams Oppitts YMTC Spellbound W-­‐S-­‐M Yeovil Youth Theatre Genesis BAOS MATA CLOC Juniors CLOC Juniors MATA CLOC Juniors Benham Academy Of Dance MATA MATA CLOC Juniors Somerton CLOC Juniors Frome Yeovil Youth Theatre Tickenham Somerton WODS Frome Milborne Port Opera Genesis YAOS WODS Wellington Frome YMTC Cudos YAOS Genesis 6 Best Male In A Supporting Role Johnny Broad As Jeff Douglas Brigadoon CLOC Luke Whitchurch As Joey Sister Act YAOS Andrew Carpenter As Vandergelder Hello Dolly Frome Grant Mccotter As Greg When Midnight Strikes Exit Stage Left Phil Turley As Trekkie Monster Avenue Q Pinstripe Productions Shaun Driver As Gabriel John Utterson Jekyll And Hyde YAOS Dave Bailey As Judas Jesus Christ Superstar WODS Best Female In A Lead Role Kathryn Stevens As Delores Sister Act YAOS Alexandra Coghlan-­‐Forbes As Desiree A Little Night Music Tickenham Sophie Watson As Jennifer When Midnight Strikes Exit Stage Left Paige Brunton As Maureen Rent At Tachhi Morris/Blakehay YMTC Jennifer Holland Brewer As Lucy Harris Jekyll And Hyde YAOS Amy Badman As Mary Magdalene Jesus Christ Superstar WODS Samantha Payne As Sally Smith Me And My Girl W-­‐S-­‐M Best Male In A Lead Role Luke Whitchurch As Harold Hill Music Man CATS Paul Eccleson As Fredrick Egerman A Little Night Music Tickenham Toby Weech As Toad Wind In The Willows Somerton Brian Hallett As Rod Avenue Q Pinstripe Productions Ian Pring As Jesus Jesus Christ Superstar WODS Adam Hunter As Bill Snibson Me And My Girl W-­‐S-­‐M Show Stopper Tarantara The Jitterbug Pirates Of Penzance Wizard Of Oz Move Into The Darkness/To Be An Addams Addams Family The Cast Death's Around The Corner Addams Family The Superstar Number Jesus Christ Superstar The Sun Has Got His Hat On Me And My Girl Full Company -­‐ Eagle High Utopia Limited Oppitts Spellbound CLOC Juniors Yeovil Youth Theatre WODS W-­‐S-­‐M Milborne Port Opera Best Chorus Nuns Chorus Wives And Children Chorus Chorus Chorus The Orphans Chorus Sister Act YAOS King And I BAOS Hello Dolly Frome Wizard Of Oz Spellbound Rent At Tachhi Morris/Blakehay YMTC Annie W-­‐S-­‐M Jesus Christ Superstar WODS Challenge Trophy Dreams Spellbound CLOC Juniors Genesis Yeovil Juniors Peter Pan Wizard Of Oz Addams Family The Show Must Go On Addams Family Dreams Spellbound CLOC Juniors Genesis Yeovil Youth Theatre Small Venue Trophy Society Society Society Society Society A Little Night Music Pirates Of Penzance Wind In The Willows When Midnight Strikes Utopia Limited Tickenham Oppitts Somerton Exit Stage Left Milborne Port Opera 7 Best Choreography Lucy Edwards King And I BAOS Marina Fairhead The Addams Family Sunshine Productions Emma Hill Wizard Of Oz Spellbound Jules Ashton Addams Family CLOC Juniors Carrie Buck & Bev Priest Jesus Christ Superstar WODS Tessa Robinson And Lisa Wright Me And My Girl W-­‐S-­‐M Best Musical Direction Sue Parker A Little Night Music Tickenham Martin Emslie Sound Of Music Benham Academy Of Dance Tony Pomeroy King And I BAOS Kerry Bishop Wizard Of Oz Spellbound Carol Kenway Addams Family CLOC Juniors Kathryn Stevens Jekyll And Hyde YAOS Caroline D'cruse Utopia Limited Milborne Port Opera Best Direction Andy Marchant A Little Night Music Tickenham Sue Pomeroy King And I BAOS Alison McCausland When Midnight Strikes Exit Stage Left Phil Cox Rent At Tachhi Morris/Blakehay YMTC Lynda Prescott Addams Family CLOC Juniors Laura Leadbeatter And Robbie Burns Jesus Christ Superstar WODS Best Youth Production The Addams Family CLOC Juniors Pirates Of Penzance Oppitts Les Miserables (Schools Edition) MATA The Sound Of Music Benham School Of Dance Best Production When Midnight Strikes Exit Stage Left A Little Night Music Tickenham Jesus Christ Superstar WODS Sister Act YAOS Jeckyl And Hyde YAOS Rent YMTC (Tacchi Morris) Protecting the young
Most drama groups have good child protection policies in place and recent news reports show their importance. According to reports on the BBC website and elsewhere, a 19-­‐year-­‐old student has told the High Court in Glasgow that she was sexually abused by a man when she was 12. The university student, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she met her alleged assailant, Mr Maclennan from Bath, when she was doing amateur dramatics. He was a volunteer and acted as a chaperone for children taking part in productions. She told advocate depute Kath Harper, prosecuting, that the alleged abuse began when Mr Maclennan was fitting her for a costume for a pantomime. The woman said: "He said one of the measurements he needed was between my legs for which he required me to remove my clothing. He asked me to remove my trousers and later my underwear as well. I found it odd." She said that the measuring tape was held against her legs and private parts, adding: "I was very uncomfortable. I was frightened and embarrassed." The story details other instances of alleged abuse, a timely reminder to make sure our safe procedures are in place and regularly checked.
8 Random memories of an octogenarian spear carrier [11]
Shakespeare in the Garden
Salad Days in rehearsal at the
Regal Theatre, Minehead
By Upstager
When MATA took over the lease of The Regal Cinema Minehead with the aim of developing it as a regular theatre one of the first priorities was to increase its income by any means available. The bulk of what was needed would have to come from the major fund providers but it was important that MATA should be seen to be making an effort to raise money itself and many supporters came forward with small scale schemes of their own. This month the enigmatic Upstager looks at raising
funds. He will be taking a short break so there will be
no Upstager next month.
Photo above: The Rude Mechanicals in rehearsal.
“I will move storms, I will condole in some measure.”
Bottom (Fred Owen) struts his stuff in A Midsummer
Night’s Dream. Ray Tew is already kitted out for his part as
Flute, the bellows mender! Below: The terraced garden.
With fond memories of our open air Shakespearean productions in the Embassy gardens in Persia, I wondered whether we could attempt something similar in our own garden. As luck would have it we had bought a house with a long steep garden poised above the harbour in Minehead-­‐ somewhat reminiscent of the Mynack clifftop theatre in Cornwall without the rocks. My wife was curious to know why I was putting in so many brick terraces on the steep slope but from the outset I had had at the back of my mind the possibility that we might stage a modest open air production there. Now it seemed that the opportunity had arisen 9 Full scale productions open to the public were obviously not feasible in a private garden like ours without a licence and all the conditions attached to it; in any case it would have been very hard to persuade actors to devote three months to rehearsals in early summer, when many of the most talented were preparing for the MATA Summer Show. Ever since my days with Univ. Players I had been a fan of rehearsed readings. It gives theatre buffs the opportunity to become familiar with plays [especially Shakespeare for instance] without the time and expense involved in weeks of rehearsal for a stage performance. If you take the trouble to arrange for suitable music, sound effects and lighting to be laid on and ask the actors to dress appropriately for the character they represent , it is surprising how soon the audiences forget that the actors are holding books in their hands. The main problem is the handling of props while holding a book but I found that my readers were remarkably resourceful in overcoming the difficulties; one year the “Rude Mechanicals” in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” turned up with the tools of their trades dangling from belts round their waists leaving their hands free to hold their scripts . I canvassed the idea amongst some of my fellow thespians, who pointed out the obvious snags—the hazards of the English weather, how do you provide a safe venue for audiences after dark in such a steep garden with its eight ponds and dodgy steps? How will you light it? How will you find actors who can cope with a Shakespearean role and be prepared to give the time when heavily involved with other productions? How will you raise enough money after expenses to pass on a useful sum to The Regal? How will you find your audiences? Shakespeare is not everyone’s cup of tea. In the event we were able to meet most of these objections. Over the years I compiled a list of about 200 “possibles” who had either shown an interest or attended our earlier performances. They all received a personal invitation in May explaining how the evening worked. To make it more of an occasion we had decided to make it a “Glyndebourne” experience. Doors would open at 6.0pm for the audience to roam in the garden and have a picnic finally settling down on one of the terraces on [their own] garden chairs to watch the performance. My own contribution to the festivities was to offer a free glass of wine [or two] in the interval. They will have been warned to take care when negotiating steps! To bring a torch to find their way out in the dark, anti midge ointment because of the ponds, to bring something warm to wear later and of course umbrellas and raincoats should the weather turn nasty. We usually put on the production during Wimbledon fortnight and in the 16 years of performances we only had to abandon the show and send the audience home early on two occasions. Yes, I know that the professionals at Dunster Castle soldier on in the pouring rain! but The Drama Library takes a dim view when scripts are returned in bad condition. I once made the mistake of instructing the cast to carry on regardless and spent the next fortnight drying out and ironing the scripts before I dared return them! Finding the actors was not the problem that I had anticipated. When they heard that there would be just one performance and one long rehearsal in the garden on the preceding Sunday. They were very keen to sign up and because it wasn’t a production tied to a particular society I was able to invite any actor from the 4 local groups to take part. [Sam could you insert the photo of the rehearsal near the paragraph above? I think it would benefit from a caption =The Sunday rehearsal-­‐ the “Rude Mechanicals” in action, Fred Owen struts his stuff as Bottom and Ray Tew is already getting into his part as Flute, the Bellows Mender.] Malcolm Oyston solved the lighting problem for me by borrowing spotlights from the Regal and setting them up in the garden with twee little umbrellas over them to keep out the rain. We could not have staged these productions without his invaluable help over all 16 years. The shortage of level space for chairs meant that our audience had to be restricted to 50. In the event we averaged an attendance of 35 to 40 so there was no need to turn anyone away. We needn’t have worried about the finances either , most who attended donated more than they would have paid for a ticket at the theatre and over the years The Regal benefited from the generosity of our audiences to the tune of about £6,000. Over the years we put on many of Shakespeare’s comedies and two of his history plays. I was tempted to direct “Hamlet” one year but had second thoughts when I anticipated the gales of laughter from the audience at the sight of all those corpses strewn about our lawn in the final scene. But I did respond to a suggestion that we extend our 10 repertoire by offering a second play every year. We stuck to the classics a couple of Restoration Plays”The Country Wife” and “The Way of the World”,-­‐which were well supported then “The Cherry Orchard”, “She Stoops To Conquer” and “Pride and Prejudice” Unfortunately arthritis began to assert itself as I approached my 80th birthday and negotiating the garden in the dark became quite a challenge so I reluctantly called a halt. The weather was always the elephant in the room for me in the week of production. 6.0 pm. on the performance night was crunch time when rain threatened. We had set up a bush telegraph to let cast and audience know by 7.0pm. whether we would have to cancel. We never did but it was always a stressful moment. On the other hand, it may be the two glasses of Burgundy talking but those evenings provided me with some of the most poignant moments in all my years on and off stage. Like for instance the final scene from “The Tempest”-­‐-­‐ a still evening, the lights reflecting the foliage of the trees in my beloved garden, and beautiful Miranda seated on a log declaiming “O brave new world that has such people in’t” MAGIC! I must say that I have enjoyed putting on these fund raisers; in spite of the fact that the preceding week was usually an anxious time as I watched the weather forecasts to see whether fraught as I suffered every year as I watched the weather forecasts admittedly 11 CHOICE... Good or Bad
By Sue Pomeroy
CHOICE-­‐ some dictionary definitions:-­‐ : The act of picking or deciding between two or more possibilities : The opportunity or power to make a decision : A range of things that can be chosen Thankfully when dealing with the majority of things in life we are given choice... the choice to eat what we like from a massive range of healthy or not so healthy foods, the choice of which programme to watch on television... Sky with 600 channels and digital with over 200 and this does not include watching whenever you like by recording programmes. We have the choice to spend money on what we want and we have choice to spend our free time doing what we want. Our modern world is evolving so rapidly that in 2015 we have more choice than ever before and in the world of amateur theatre this choice poses more than a few problems. How many committee members from drama clubs and musical societies across the UK are discussing the same problems and trying to find answers to the same questions? What plays or musicals will attract both an audience and performers? • How can we attract more men? • What is the society in the next town performing or that new society down the road? • Will they take our audience? • Will they take our performers? • How much can we realistically charge for our tickets? Sue Pomeroy is a member of Bridgwater Amateur
Operatic Society and author
of the biography of
Brian Buttle: Adventures in the Playground. In her
regular feature in Spotlight she turns her thoughts
to Choice and asks if it is good or bad…
•
•
How can we control the ever-­‐rising costs of a production? How can we encourage younger people to join the management committee? At the start of a new year these may seem like negative question, but many society stalwarts will be asking these questions and failing to find answers. Most of the problems I am trying to address derive from one word: ‘choice’. We have to make audiences and cast alike choose ‘us’. Once again, my apologies to drama groups, my background is in musical theatre, but with a bit of imagination most of what I discuss can be related to plays. Many years ago when I was young, choice was not an issue... ‘What’s for tea’? ‘Beans on toast, take it or leave it’. ‘What’s on TV?’ ‘BBC... one channel, take or leave it’. You had to be invited to join a musical society or drama club. You learned to sing whilst in the school choir and were in the school play (usually Shakespeare). I have absolutely no wish to return to the gloomy post war years, I enjoy the freedom to choose everything as much as anyone, but I worry about too much choice destroying the future of amateur theatre. There is so much choice for everyone in amateur theatre today, for performers, principals, company and dancers. There is choice for Directors, Choreographers, Musical Directors and accompanists; they can command their semi-­‐ professional fee because of a huge shortage of this indispensable talent. 12 control of the budget and the production. Above all if you are a management committee... MANAGE! And of course there is the major choice of which show to be in! Unless we find answers to some of the questions, many societies and clubs will go under and this would lead to the waste of so much talent both on and off stage and a loss of so much entertainment for the public. In order to find answers I recognise that I am making some simplistic and sweeping generalisations! •
If possible at auditions, give your regulars a chance in leading roles.... yes there might be someone better from another society, but you are trying to encourage and build up your club... what we have at the moment are many ‘troops of strolling players’ and yes I was in KISS ME KATE! •
Give younger people in the society a chance to do things their way... yes they will almost certainly make mistakes, but didn’t we... don’t be too quick to say, we’ve tried that before and it didn’t work! Let them enjoy their ideas of fundraising like Paint Balling and Karaoke and Discos even if the very thought of it makes you feel faint! •
Start a youth group so you can ‘grow your own’ but if you are too successful they will all go off to drama school and you still won’t keep them! •
Don’t decide upon a show unless you have the resources and potential cast available to see it through. Don’t rely on its popularity to bring in audiences. Shows almost always cost more than you anticipate •
Amalgamate with other clubs in the town...drama, pantomime, operatic and youth... my goodness what a strong consortium you could be, with all the willing helpers from all the clubs offering their services on stage, back stage and front of house. (Even I know this is truly wishful thinking!!! Probably too many ego’s here) What productions attract an audience? Well a lot depends on the age of the audience you are trying to attract; the older generation would favour the well known shows of Rogers and Hammerstein or Annie, My Fair Lady, Fiddler, Oliver and the like! Younger audiences (not children) would favour edgy, contemporary theatre like Rent, Into the Woods and Avenue Q. All age groups would like to see ‘some’ new releases...Sister Act, Hairspray, Mary Poppins and Sunset Boulevard. I use the word ‘some’ advisedly because there are new releases that bombed professionally and will probably bomb when performed by amateurs.... there is such a thing as a ‘bad’ show! What productions attract a cast? For the answer to this... see above because many answers are the same! I have debated some of the other questions in previous columns. So perhaps the time has come to look at a few probably unacceptable radical changes within our wonderful, but can be infuriating, hobby. The following are the ponderings of my abstract mind and do not necessarily represent what I wish for or what I propose to present to my own committee, but... on the other hand... • Be brave... tell prospective performers that it is not OK for them to be in two even three shows at the same time.... rehearsals will be a nightmare, the other performers suffer as will ultimately the standard of the show... yes I know you won’t have a cast unless you accept this, but then I never said I had all the answers. • Be brave...don’t allow the ego of a director to make decisions and judgments you don’t agree with. Keep Finally, if there are any issues or ideas you would like ‘my simple mind’ to debate in this column please get in touch, as I will soon run out of ideas. [email protected] 13 Reviews
ROBIN HOOD AND THE BABES IN THE WOOD by Alan Frayn Frome Musical Theatre Company Frome Memorial Theatre 2nd January 2015 Back to Frome for the second time this year, this time to the Memorial Theatre, home to Frome Musical Theatre Company (FMTC), winners of last year’s Cinderella Trophy. Robin Hood in one form or another is becoming an increasingly popular pantomime and, with a script by Alan Frayn, I was really looking forward to it. As a panto, it does not have some of the usual features: in this version there is no element of the supernatural, and even the ghostly goings on proved not to be real ghosts at all. I wonder if an element of supernatural serves to enhance the magic of the genre. As their name implies, FMTC are strong on music and dance. All the principals can put across a song and the chorus is incredibly accomplished. And they all could trot out a few mean dance moves too. I enjoyed the choice of music with enough well-­‐known songs to get us tapping our feet. My favourite was the juniors and the dancers in the schoolroom scene turning out a fine, raucous version of Baggy Trousers. Great fun! And, unusually, the proceedings opened in song too with Astrid Bishop playing the Bard and singing us through the introductory narrative with style. The eponymous hero was played by Nicole Wooldridge in fine principal boy style. She had all the strutting moves associated with the role, although I would have liked to see a little bit of a softer and more romantic side. The love interest was Maid Marian, of course, played by Becky Hinde. The pair belted out a fine rendition of McCartney’s Maybe I’m Amazed. I was! The Merry Men comprised Kevin Withers as Little John, Jon O’Loughlin as the constantly tipsy Friar Tuck, and Hollie White as Will (Wilhelmina) Scarlet, who I must say has a beautiful singing voice. The pantomime season is upon us and, as ever we carry a
brief review of each show. Societies, of course, receive a
full, detailed adjudication. These short reviews are
intended as an overview written by the moderator.
All reviews by Sam Allen.
for a dame, with full chorus singing She’s the One in full Tiller Girl Getup! To my mind it would have been funnier to have the entire chorus stretching out their arms to welcome the dame from one side, when she then comes crashing in face first from the other! But I like to go for the gags and it took this show a while to get the laughter really going. Poor old Humphrey was feeling unwell and at one point had to leave the stage so it is a huge tribute to his dedication that he kept going and, by the second act he seemed to have recovered and was dancing like the trouper he is. The villain of the piece was the Sheriff of Nottingham, played by Davey Evans. He is a fine singer and dancer but a little more vileness would have given us a perfect baddie. I very much enjoyed Dora Bishop and Simon Joyce’s portrayals of his lackeys, Snivel and Grovel. Their combined rendition of Bad Guys was a treat. The show was stolen, as is often the way, by the youngsters: Sam and Ella played by George Langley and Ella Evans. They were terrific. Joanne Plenty is a capable director but there were one or two issues about this show that rankled. The baddie persisted on entering and exiting stage right, a well-­‐understood no-­‐no in pantomime; and the voices, while clear and audible throughout, were all a little one-­‐paced so we didn’t get the asides, the innuendo, the knowing glances and meaningful pauses. These are the things that drive the laughs and create the pathos. But I’m bleating on. This was a wonderful show, full of colour, vibrancy and great music and dance. Karen Harley is a great choreographer and the band, led by MD David Hynds, were cracking. The costumes and sets were gloriously spectacular and the scene changes were seamless. A great afternoon’s entertainment, as is to be expected from this experienced and capable team. We were at least twenty minutes into the show before we met the dame, Nurse Nellie Nickerlastic, played by Humphrey Barnes, who was given the biggest entrance I have ever seen 14 SLEEPING BEAUTY by Bradford and Webster Moorlight Theatre Productions Meyer Theatre, Millfield 3rd January 2015 Moorlight Theatre Productions moved to the Meyer Theatre at Millfield five years ago and since then they have gone from strength to strength. The Meyer Theatre is a great venue for pantomime; it is compact and intimate allowing lots of opportunity to draw the audience into the action. Opportunities that Moorlight put to good use. a UV scene that featured a real fire-­‐breathing dragon. Well, real fire if not quite a real dragon! Moorlight pantomimes follow the best tradition of pantomime and that plays to the strength of the genre. The audience surely enjoyed this show, which hopefully will keep them coming back for more year after year. ALI BABA AND THE FORTY THIEVES By Alan P Frayn Minehead Panto People The Regal Theatre, Minehead 3rd January 2015 The show opened with Fairies Lilac, Lavender It was great to see the Regal Theatre and Lupin on the upper balconies. Played by Kayleigh Perry, Zoe Cunningham and Sara Plant, the trio were the bedrock of this production and their comedy, rapport with each other and with the audience, topped off by some wonderful musical numbers were a veritable treat. We then had a rousing chorus number, the first of several, with a chorus that looked as though they were enjoying every minute of this, the last performance of this year’s run. Great costumes, wonderful sets and imaginative lighting gave the panto a kick-­‐start, and the action never really faltered. absolutely packed on the Tuesday night we were there, even if a couple of exuberant kids talked at the top of their voice all the way through the show! It is a tribute to the cast that they carried on undaunted in the face of some fierce competition! The love interest was provided by Jayne Huxtable as Princess Rose and Beth Irving as Prince William, our venerable principal heroes. Nonsense came aplenty from young Jay Daniels as Harry the Jester and not-­‐so-­‐young Jerry Jeremiah as Winifred Slaptickle, the court nurse. There were fine performances too from Martin Mudie as the King and Kath Wall as the Queen who, together with George Steer playing Hark, the Herald, were coming and going all over the place in their quest to protect the young princess. In Act 2, Vaughan Williams played three funny cameo roles providing much mirth along the way. I was also impressed by Helen Leigh as the Cannibal Chief. The villainess was played to wonderful effect by Natalie Gowers who must have frightened many an unsuspecting child with her terrifying performance. And she can put across a song as well! She was ably supported by Iain Gallacher as the hapless Snivel. Technically this was a great show. The lighting by Tom Scott was innovative and the sound effects were spot on. Moorlight always produce an element of surprise and this year it came in This was a spectacle of a show kicking off with the entire cast singing That’s Pantomime to the tune of That’s Entertainment. I wondered if this would ruin the subsequent ‘first’ entrances of some of the characters such as the dame, but it didn’t. It served to get the show off with a bang. And we also had some literal bangs with judicious use of pyrotechnics. Add that to the great sets and costumes and we had a visual treat. All the traditions of panto were in place. Good came in the form of Caterina, played by Kim Hughes adorned in sparkling white. Opposing her was the dastardly Alsatia, played by Sallyann King dressed all in black. Her earthly assistant was the splendid Peter Thompson as the shaven-­‐headed Asbad. His stage presence, facial impressions and singing voice were impressive. Love interest was interesting and, at times, slightly confusing! The natural pairing of Princess Jasmine (Anna Daley) and Prince Haroun (Tracy Moles) was upset when another pair entered the fray: the eponymous Ali Baba (Paul Yates) and slave girl Marjana (Coral Kendall) were the supposed second pairing but, by the end the pairings had changed. This gave the story a better moral than most pantos where money and entitlement are key, but it made for a somewhat confusing story. Perhaps if those confounded kids hadn’t drowned our some of the dialogue all might have been clearer! Still, at the end of the day panto is all 15 about children so what are a few lost words? And, as ever, the detail of the storyline doesn’t really matter; the good thing was, it gave the director an opportunity for some lovely love songs. There are some nice voices down Minehead way! Providing foolishness on the side of good was Malcolm McNeill as Fatima Fandango and the energetic James Scott as Mustafa Screwloose. They made a great combination and, when on form, provided some great laughs but once or twice things seemed to get a bit flustered – in addition to the scripted cock-­‐ups! On the side of bad, comedy came from Mark Wilcocks as Bashim and Grabbit played by fourteen-­‐year-­‐
old Daniel Ross, who deserves special credit because he stepped into the role only five days before the first performance. Top marks for being word perfect and also for a great sense of comic timing, something that often only comes with experience. The whole shebang was held together by the story-­‐telling of Scheherazade, played by Amy Bullock, who also led the ensemble in a fine rendition of Shakira’s Whenever, Wherever. She related the whole tale to the Sultan (Richard Derry) following a plan hatched by her father, the splendidly-­‐bearded Grand Vizier played by Glenn Ross. But this was nothing if not an ensemble piece. There were plenty of males in the chorus to give the feel that there were forty thieves, and even more females to balance the action. Together with the junior chorus and the splendid dancers, we had lots to keep our interest from start to finish. We drove home through the mild winter night feeling happy which was, by coincidence, the penultimate chorus number (Pharrell William’s song of the same name, that is) and the song strongly tipped to win the most sung celebratory song of the 2014/15 season! BEAUTY AND THE BEAST By Alan Frayn Wayfarers Pantomime Society The Brew house Theatre & Arts Centre 13th January 2015 It is fantastic to see Wayfarers back in what Director Brian Epps calls their spiritual home, the Brew house Theatre in Taunton. And even better to see them back in the Cinderella Trophy Competition! And they are back with a bang. A splendid production of Alan Frayn’s Beauty and the Beast. It started with an imaginative UV scene in which the roses are blown away by the winds whipped up by the evil Belladonna, played by Val Wright in opposition to the good fairy Flora, played by Anna Howe. And then we were into the music. Music and dance was a strong point of this Wayfarers production. Terrifically energetic choreography included everybody, principals and all, and the society abounds with excellent singers. The choral numbers were loud, raucous and foot-­‐stompingly infectious. Be Our Guest at the end of Act 1 was a spectacular number ending with huge champagne bottles exploding with pyrotechnic fiery sparkles. And yet, with twenty-­‐one songs I couldn’t help feeling that you really can have too much of a good thing. Sometimes, less is more. The Beauty, Belle was played with panache by Kim Barnard. This is a great role encompassing the full gamut of emotions and Kim’s performance included some nicely performed songs. Her sisters (yes, I know this is not Cinderella, but why not have a pair of horrendous sisters in this one two?) were played by Rosie Taylor and Emma Jones as a pair of Bristolian tearaways, forever looking to enhance their beauty with treatments paid for by their longsuffering father Alphonse (Steve Lukins). The frightful sisters were a breathe of fresh air throughout the show and they provided a lot of laughs every time they came on stage. These were performances of great physicality and their stage presence was admirable – and they can’t half sing and dance! There was a different kind of stage presence too from the narcissistic Gustave, played by Nick Whyborn as a self-­‐obsessed ladies’ man not unlike Flynn Rider from Disney’s Tangled! Lots of fun was to be had from the ladies fawning over him but ultimately he was not a very pleasant piece of work. There was more fun to be had from the splendid Amber Samuel as a Monique who, despite her French name, was an Essex girl through and through. Her partner in the beauty salon was the splendidly camp Marcel, played with aplomb by Chris Holman. The Beast and his alter ego the Prince were played respectively by Andy Cooper and James Venning. The Beast’s hair and makeup were terrific and he displayed fearsomeness and pathos in equal measure. The Prince was everything a prince should be and he and Belle 16 played nicely off each other. Stuart Lloyd played the dame, Madame Fifi and the linkman, Jacques, was played with boundless energy by Dan Woodsman. All the ingredients were in place for a super show, and that is what we got. I always think Wayfarers take rather too long over raffles, shout-­‐outs, and the house number, tending to bring the whole thing down just when we should be racing towards the big bang end which, when it eventually came, was terrific. A great night’s entertainment. ROBIN HOOD AND THE BABES IN THE WOOD by Alan Frayn CUDOS The Victoria Rooms, Crewkerne 21st January 2015 romantic interludes because this show was more about derring-­‐do and shenanigans. The Merry Men comprised Keith Allington as Little John, Dave Phillips as Friar Tuck and Leonie Dash as Will (Wilhelmina) Scarlet, who was a merry woman! This bunch provided a lot of gentle humour throughout the show and they played nicely off one another. On the side of evil we had William Scott-­‐
Robinson as the Sheriff of Nottingham whose dastardly plans had the audience booing and hissing. His black suit, boots, gloves and black beard were the epitome of the evil pantomime villain. His sidekicks were Snivel and Grovel played by Ann Brolly and Greg Groves as a pair of rather wretched rogues. Together the three miscreants hatched plots to thwart our hero but, inevitably, they got their comeuppance. This is pantomime, after all. On a night that was in turns foggy The structure of the pantomime script means and wet we headed across the hills to Crewkerne to enjoy the hospitality on offer at the Victoria Rooms, home to CUDOS. This was the second of three pantos using Alan Frayn’s script: Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood. For many reasons this is not one of my favourite Alan Frayn scripts. I find the opening lengthy and wordy with not very good gags, the humour throughout is unfortunately earthy (no panto character should ever talk about needing a dump) and the threat, with knives, of two young children having their throats cut sits very uncomfortably with me. It also lacks elements of the supernatural and some of the action is consistently difficult to stage. How on earth are we supposed to see what’s going on with three people in abed? But, hey, what do I know? there is no identifiable link man as such and so the Dame, Nurse Nellie Nickerlastic, has to do twice the work. Well Richard Walters was certainly up to the job! He took the audience on and played it up a storm in a bravura performance. I also loved 10-­‐year-­‐old Oliver Loder and 11-­‐year-­‐old Makenzie Peters as the babes, Sam and Ella. These were very assured performances from two so young. There was very strong support in this show That said, I enjoyed CUDOS’s interpretation as Musical accompaniment was provided by a did the near sell-­‐out audience on this, their opening night. I was thrilled that this was Kerry Peters’ directorial debut; it is always good to see new people take up the daunting challenge of directing a pantomime and interesting to see how they fare. Kerry’s cast did her proud. They were word perfect (apart from one nicely covered-­‐up slip) and, after that long start, the action moved along at a pleasant pace. There were plenty of enjoyable musical numbers, all kept commendably short to keep the action rolling along. Robin Hood was the commanding Diana Hodgson whose love interest was, inevitably Maid Marian played by Lucy Perry. In truth there wasn’t much time for from Angie Euston as the Bard, Ray Norris as King Richard, Nick Harris as Sir Guy and Lorraine Dash as a minstrel who met an untimely end with an arrow through the back! All of these players suggest an underlying strength at CUDOS, which is good to see. And that feeling was reinforced by a vibrant and confident chorus of both seniors and juniors. multi-­‐talented four-­‐piece band headed by MD John Perry with dancing choreographed by Sarah Elliott. There was an impressive society-­‐made set, effective lighting and a variety of colourful costumes that are the hallmarks of a well-­‐
established society that is on top of its game. The audience reaction was proof, if proof were needed, that this was a great evening of entertainment: a beacon of hope on an otherwise wet and dreary night. We drove home happy. 17 A CHRISTMAS CAROL By Andrew Winfield Wellington Pantomime Group Wellesley Theatre, Wellington 22nd January 2015 Off on one of the coldest nights so far to the Wellesley Theatre in Wellington. The crowd gathered waiting for the doors to open was a good omen! The theatre was virtually sold out on the Wednesday night we were there. I admire The Wellington Pantomime Group. On the Saturday of their run they have three performances and another on the Sunday afternoon to finish off. Now, that is dedication! This was an original script written by the society’s own Andrew Winfield. It is hard to take a story as familiar as A Christmas Carol and turn it into a proper pantomime so I was not sure what to expect. But I have to say, Andrew Wilton pulled it off. This was a modern panto with all the traditional ingredients of the genre: a dame, a linkman, some slapstick and ghosts aplenty. It even managed a bit of romance and it teemed with great songs. The show got off to a cracking start with the splendid Paul Smith as Dame Dottie Dilber cleaning the aisles. Right from the start the audience was drawn into the action as we checked beneath our seats for any stray rubbish, and that audience participation did not let up throughout the show. Terrific. Then we were into the big opening number and we were away! No opportunity for a gag was missed by either the writer or the director and we were bombarded with a litany of gags based around Dickens Titles. Dame Dottie’s son was Jonny, played by Richard Matravers and he, too, kept up the audience banter with lots of nonsense about sprouts! Scrooge was played by Kirk Shepherd as a rather straight-­‐laced old curmudgeon, perhaps not as evil and frightening as one might imagine. His nephew, Fred (easy on the eye as Dottie kept reminding us) was played by Anthony James and he, together with the lovely Gladys, played by Lizzie Harvey, gave us a wonderful rendition of Let it Go, one of the songs of the year (together with Happy, which was used as the walkdown number). The Cratchit family were headed by the longsuffering Bob (David Waring, in a splendid interpretation) together with wife Patsy (Christina Green) and the Wayne, Jordan, Chardonnay and Cindy. Unfortunately Tiny Tim had been held up by traffic and was replaced by a burly electrician who had only turned up to change a light bulb! Thereafter he was played by a succession of portly men, much to the apparent bemusement of the rest of the cast and to much hilarity in the audience. It was a great idea and it worked splendidly. Then, of course, we had the apparitions. Eden Jack played Marley, forever doomed to shopping expeditions because of his failure to use a bag for life! This was a great interpretation and we had some wonderful singing too. Keira Chard was the ghost of Christmas past who, although we never actually saw her except as a ghostly spectre, also had a song. Ian Jones played both the Ghost of Christmas Present and Mr Fezziwig with an infectious bonhomie and the scary Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, with laser eyes was played by Jennie Liddel. There was lots of originality and modern touches in this show. The projected backdrops were a clever innovation although a larger screen might have helped complete the illusion. When it comes to knockabout, other societies could learn great lessons from Wellington. Every hit, thump and bump was overplayed and accompanied by meticulously-­‐timed drum playing. Similarly the slapstick, although there wasn’t much of it, was telegraphed and we were included in the decision to pie those faces. The director used splashes of melodrama to accompany the usual panto fare and we ran the gamut from the ridiculous to the frightening to the sad with relentless pace. Once or twice there seemed to be confusion and misunderstanding on stage and some of the scene changes took rather too long for my liking. When the curtain opens panto should be non-­‐stop until it closes again. And if you are going to do shout outs, it really does help if someone gives them to the dame. Fortunately Paul Smith is sufficiently experienced and at ease with his audience that he rode such problems like the trouper he is. When it comes to music, there is strength in depth at Wellington: we had terrific songs and accompaniment together with some lovely choreography. And all was well in the end because the most adorable Tiny Tim ever turned up to say those immortal lines: “God bless us, every one!” 18 ALADDIN By Jon Newman Yeovil Amateur Pantomime Society The Octagon Theatre, Yeovil 23rd January 2015 I love the Octagon Theatre and I always look forward to a YAPS production so we travelled to Yeovil with high hopes. And Aladdin too! As traditional as pantomime gets and yet not performed so often these days. So things were looking good. Well, dear reader, we were not to be disappointed. The show got off to a cracking start with the imposing Steve Hentschel as Abanazar and the incredible 12-­‐year-­‐old Lisha Allen as the Slave of the Ring. What is it about YAPS that they find such amazing youngsters? And then the curtains opened and we were in old Peking. The huge chorus gave it all they’ve got, as they continued to do throughout the show, as they opened with It’s a Beautiful Day. Stunning costumes and a most terrific set together with strong lighting combined to make a vivid picture and those visual delights were the hallmark of the production. The programme credits thirty-­‐nine members of the chorus together with seventeen principals – a total of 56 people on stage. Wow! Some societies don’t have that many in the audience! Most of the laughs in the show came from the excellent Jon Newman as Wishee Washee. Now, I think it would be fair to say that Jon pulls his weight, down YAPS way. Not only was he Wishee Washee, but he wrote the script, directed the show, did the choreography, was responsible for the makeup, and when he was not doing those things he produced the programme! He had some great players to work with. I was particularly impressed by Hannah Press as Aladdin and Kali Davis as Princess Jasmine. Not only did they produce really confident and endearing performances, but they both sang like angels and they could dance too! Felicity Keirle impressed as the Genie, who appeared in a variety of ridiculous garb, took the stage by storm, and gave us some fine singing too. The Policemen were Keira Hussey and Lauren Francis as Wong Way and Wong Turn. Their costumes were magnificent and their overall look was just great, accompanied by some fine movement on stage. Widow Twankey (Michael Francis) appeared in a range of ridiculous outfits as befits this most famous of all pantomime dames. Tim Light played the Emperor and Roy Hollis was the scheming Vizier trying to marry off his portly son Prince Pekoe (AmieClaire Gold) to the Princess. There were some great supporting roles from Charlotte-­‐Marie Dimond and Emily Condon as the Princess’s handmaidens, Georgia Hentschel and Holly Mainstone as Ting Tang and Bing Bang, friends of Aladdin. And Richard Cannon played the hapless Executioner whose attempts to do away with Aladdin were regularly thwarted! Singing, music and choreography were strong in this show. Perhaps it lacked one or two moments of magic. We had no magic carpet ride, lighting up of the jewels in the cave, and there was no opportunity for a bit of slapstick or scary ghosts. But we did have some wonderful knockabout in song in If I were not Stuck in this Tomb! I laughed and laughed. All in all, a great show, thoroughly enjoyed by the Friday night audience in the Octagon, and rightly so. ROBIN HOOD AND THE BABES IN THE WOOD by Alan Frayn Clevedon Comedy Club Princes Hall, Clevedon 24th January 2015 Up the M4 to Clevedon for an eagerly anticipated return to the Clevedon Comedy Theatre Club. Our third Robin Hood and the babes in the Wood this year. With so many people choosing this Alan Frayn script I think it must be just me who doesn’t like it! But I still don’t. As we entered the hall the curtains were open to reveal two medieval tents and the setting for the fair. With the bunting strewn from side to side it looked great but it got even better when the back curtains opened to reveal the first of many effective backdrops. The sets throughout this show were a delight and the swift scene changes were expertly accomplished so the action never flagged. In the opening scene there is an archery competition, which other societies portrayed by the simple expedient of taking the target off stage and then returning with an arrow in place. Not Clevedon! Here, we saw the arrow fly through the air and hit the target! Great stuff! And great stuff too from the principal boy and girl, Jess Stock as Robin Hood and Elaine 19 Summers as Maid Marian. Their confident playing and lovely singing were a highlight of this show. Robin’s merry men comprised Brian Tyrrell as a Little John (with a smile that made him look constantly bemused), Amy Vinson as Will Scarlet and Sue Gready as an affable Friar Tuck. The cohort of dirty deed doers comprised the villainous Sheriff of Nottingham played by Phil Plover, and his lackeys Snivel (Jan Weaver) and Grovel (Susan Dare) whose antics provided much amusement. The Babes were played by the admiral siblings Chloe and Edward Hayden who demonstrated fine acting skills as well as giving us a great tap-­‐dance routine and they gave us a great song too. Most of the nonsense was generated by Garry Baird as Nurse Nellie Nickerlastic as the Sheriff’s old Nanny who he calls in to help look after the babes when he agrees to look after them for the King when he is away on the crusades. Suffice to say the Sheriff has only agreed to look after the babes to get his hands on the King’s loot, the bounder. Much fun was to be had in blowing up the safe with the first ever stick of dynamite (we’ll overlook the fact that dynamite was famously invented by Alfred Nobel in the 1860s – this is panto after all!). Much menace was to be had when he got Grovel & Snivel to cut the babes throats. Needless to say it didn’t happen but the sight of two young children with knives at their throats is another reason I don’t like this script. Clevedon showed their strength in depth with an array of supporting cameos from Lesley Owens as the Bard, Dani Hart as the Minstrel (who was dispatched in short order with an arrow in the back) Ceri Gardner as Sir Guy and Peter Ashby as a splendidly attired King Richard. Clevedon Comedy Club has a great venue in the Princes hall and a fine troupe of actors. They clearly also have strength in their backroom teams with great costumes, props, sets, makeup, as well as good musical accompaniment and a plethora of capable performers. It is great to see pantomime so healthy and enjoyable. They certainly made sure the journey was worthwhile! THE ADVENTURES OF SINBAD By John Holmes, Pat Willaims, Mo Bicham & Lorna Blair Burnham District Pantomime Society Princess Theatre & Arts Centre, Burnham-­‐on-­‐
Sea 29th January 2015 Off to Burnham and the Princess Theatre. I always love my visits to the Princess; not only do we always receive a warm welcome, but the whole evening exudes an air of conviviality. The good folk of the Burnham District Pantomime Society combine the youthful exuberance of their predominantly young cast with an old world elegance and charm, a difficult feat that they carry off with aplomb. This year’s panto was The Adventures of Sinbad, a self-­‐penned adventure written by the director and three others. Based very loosely on the Arabian tales of Sinbad the Sailor, the story was a loose plot designed to take us to the four corners of the earth and providing a rich array of backdrops for the very fine sets that were a feature of this production. And while we enjoyed the scenery, the storyline had the unfortunate effect of making the show seem very disjointed. We were in a sweet-­‐filled fantasy island, out of it, back in it (why?), in the frozen wastes, under the sea, in a Native American village, in the desert and back to the oriental market place. All great fun and all good vehicles for hanging some panto nonsense on. For example, I loved the backdrop with the octopus that had tentacles reaching out in spectacular 3D! And in between we had a bit of pantomime slapstick that involved the dame becoming increasingly drunk. Over-­‐
consumption of alcohol was a theme of this show as one of the characters appeared for the house number with a stinking hangover! Our eponymous hero was played by Shannon Manlow, whose love interest was the beautiful slave-­‐girl, Aisha played by Zoe Nicholson. Sinbad bought Aisha for a ridiculous figure and then, in a gesture of friendship, bought his pal Hassan (Gabrielle Blair) the lovely Leila (Katie Shephard) for a pittance! The evil Caliph (Melvyn Shephard) stole Aisha, replacing her wit the dame, Roma Lott played by Rob Blackmore. I would have loved seeing Rob given some funnier lines because I think he could have had the audience roaring with his antics but we had to suffice with a few chuckles. Somewhere in the mix we had Mungo the Monkey played by Archie Williams, and the two 20 dunderheads Rancid (Nick Elmswood) and Abanana (Emma Twigg), and the plot was held together by the Storyteller, Lorna Davey. There were a number of cameo performances, most notably by the excellent Alistair Murray who proved once again that it is possible to make a big impact with a small part. The Junior Chorus impressed, most notably when they appeared as penguins in a mythical frozen world where southern hemisphere birds live alongside northern hemisphere polar bears and Eskimos! That’s why I love panto! Dancing was provided mostly by the girls from the Dance Fit Academy with some neat chorus moves thrown in for good measure. There were plenty of musical numbers, soundtracks being used instead of live music. A little editing would have worked wonders to give the songs big endings instead of just trailing away, but the music was enjoyable nevertheless. There was a good smattering of modern songs and more traditional fare providing something for everybody. Thursday night is VIP night at Burnham and the dignitaries were in bedecked by their chains of office. As they all retired for the half-­‐
time drinks and nibbles, I am sure they agreed that a good time was had by all and that after an amazing forty-­‐six years, BDPS is still going strong. BABES IN THE WOOD By Lynn Lee Brown Castaways Theatre Group The Swan Theatre, Yeovil 31st January 2015 Back to Yeovil for our second visit of the year, this time to the Swan Theatre for the annual pantomime from the amazing Castaways Theatre Group. I say amazing because I am full of admiration for the work that Lynn Lee Brown and her sterling team do. Such is the popularity of this society, and so dedicated are they, that they have two teams for many of the junior roles and, uniquely in my experience, some of the senior roles too. There are 95 people in total credited in the programme for cast and chorus and Lynn herself appears in an uncredited cameo role taking the total up to an incredible 96! It is a veritable tour de force. Now, to make it all work Lynn writes the script herself so she can incorporate as many people as possible. This is great for the cast and for the audience, which seems to comprise mostly proud mums, dads, grans, granddads, aunts, uncles and family friends! And why not? But it is a nightmare for reviewers and adjudicators who have to try to keep track of a huge number of performers! The action was kicked off by a pyrotechnic flash and then we saw Autumn Sprite who, when I saw it, was played by Anastacia Hayward. She had a lovely singing voice and a beautiful acting style and it was a great start to the show. Liam Beard played the Linkman, Jimmy the Jester, telling a series of dreadful old gags but winning the warmth of the audience. The evil Sheriff was played by Graham Waddington and his Bailiff, Colin Frances, won many laughs. They inveigled the help of the bungling duo Rob and Bob to kidnap the babes and ferry them away to perish in the woods. I saw Sarah Smith and Amanda Lowder in these roles, for other performances they were played by males. They did a fine job but I was gender-­‐
confused because Bob appeared in the school scene in a mini-­‐skirt! Mmm, the weird world of pantomime. The babes were Jack and Jill, great performances by Joshua Beaumont and Rosie Broughton. Their nanny was Nurse Connie Coughdrop played by Chris White whose experience shone through even if he didn’t have the funniest lines in the world. If humour was lacking, though, it didn’t matter because this was a panto of great visual appeal with some lovely singing and dancing. There is strength in depth at Castaways, a tribute to the directorial team. At one stage we had a great song from three witches played by Tammie Lloyd, Doreen MacGregor and Toni Pincombe, surrounded by an entourage of zombies. It was a great scene as they sang Sweet Child of Mine and I am sure for the very young it was truly terrifying. I was a bit frightened myself! What it had to do with anything else, I have no idea! But it was all great fun. The romance came from Beth Irvine (when I saw it) as Robin Hood and Olivia MacGregor as Maid Marion. They provided us with some lovely singing. I loved it all. Great acting, lovely singing, marvellous choreography were enhanced by the fine sets and lighting, and very impressive costumes and makeup. A great afternoon’s entertainment. 21 What’s On
February 4th -­‐ 7th February 2015 HAY FEVER by Noel Coward The Warehouse Theatre Warehouse Theatre, Ilminster at 7:30pm Directed by Louise Adams BOX OFFICE: Lanes Garden Shop or 07943 779880 12th -­‐ 14th February 2015 ENTERTAINING ANGELS by Richard Everett Portishead Players Somerset Hall, Portishead at 7:30pm also Sat at 2:00pm An amusing, poignant and heart-­‐warming play which will provide an evening of laughter and tears. Directed by Sandra Branfield BOX OFFICE: 0333 666 3366 or www.portisheadplayers.ticketsource.co.uk 13th -­‐ 21st February 2015 PIRATES OF THE CARY-­‐
BBEAN by Nigel McBrayne Somerton Dramatic Society Parish Rooms, Somerton at 7:30pm also Sats at 2:30pm We’ve got pirates, we’ve got a monster, we’ve got pirates, we’ve got some great songs, we’ve got pirates, we’ve got a ship, we’ve got pirates. And...Oh yes, we’ve got pirates. Come and see us in Somerton for a great fun-­‐packed traditional family panto. Directed by Ian Hurdman BOX OFFICE: Palmer Snell, Somerton Cinderella Trophy Entry 17th -­‐ 21st February 2015 JACK AND THE BEANSTALK by Lin Hook & Colin Burnap Puriton Players Puriton Village Hall at 7:15pm also Sat at 2:00pm A traditional family pantomime full of fun and laughs where Jack defeats the evil giant combined with special added extras from the Puriton Players BOX OFFICE: 01278 685368 Cinderella Trophy Entry 18th -­‐ 21st February 2015 BONNIE & CLYDE by Menchell, Black & Wildhorn Sunshine Productions Blakehay Theatre, WSM at 7:30pm also Sat at 2:30pm Award Winning Sunshine Productions have succeeded in obtain another South West Premier. Bonnie &Clyde is a stunning new musical about the infamous American Crime Duo. One not to be missed – Book now BOX OFFICE: 01934 645493 SFD Concessions 18th -­‐ 21st February 2015 PINOCCHIO by Stephen Duckham Bradford Players Bradford on Tone Village Hall at 7:30pm also Fri & Sat at 2:30pm Directed by Emma Vicarage BOX OFFICE: 07581 880807 Cinderella Trophy Entry 20th -­‐ 21st February 2015 SNOW QUEEN by Fred Owen Oasis Theatre Regal Theatre, Minehead at 7:30pm Gerda searches for her friend Kai who has been bewitched and imprisoned by the Snow Queen in her ice palace. She meets flowers, cossacks and the crows. Directed by Georgina Charnock BOX OFFICE: 01643 702826 SFD Concessions 26th -­‐ 28th February 2015 JACK AND THE BEANSTALK by Ben Crocker Tatworth Amateur Pantomime Society Tatworth Memorial Hall at 7:30pm also Sat at 2:30pm This years TAPS production is Jack and the Beanstalk, including all the usual characters, good vs evil, an unusual giant, a race down the beanstalk and a triple wedding. Directed by Kelly Foote & Kevin Rogers BOX OFFICE: South Chard PO, Herberts News & Kenny's Barbers Cinderella Trophy Entry March 3rd -­‐ 7th March 2015 TONS OF MONEY by Will Evans & Arthur Valentine revised by Alan Ayckbourn Taunton Thespians Brewhouse Theatre, Taunton, at 7.30pm with a 2.30pm Saturday matinee A wickedly funny and physical play is full of Roaring Twenties spirit, pace and dash, with wisecracking dialogue, mistaken identities, polish and pizazz. Add a scheming butler, lugubrious gardener, smarmy solicitor, fainting female and ironic aunt, and you have a cocktail of comedy. Directed by Polly Bray BOX OFFICE: 01823 283244, www.thebrewhouse.net or Taunton Tourist Information Centre on 01823 336344 5th -­‐ 7th March 2015 BO PEEP & BOY BLUE by Mitcheson, Stevens & Ward Chardstock Amateur Dramatic Society Chardstock Community Hall At 7:30pm also Sat at 3:00pm Meet Dame Crochet and the Knitwits in probably the World's Wooliest Pantomime as they aid Bo Peep and Boy Blue to track down the stolen sheep and rescue the Woolly Fayre. Pop on your woolly jumper and enjoy! Directed by Richard Boxell & Josh Hopson BOX OFFICE: Chardstock Stores or [email protected] Cinderella Trophy Entry 22