ACT in Action Issue 17

SNOWWHITE & THE SEVEN DWARFS Antrobus Players Director: Janet Featonby Choreography: Debbie Sutton Music provided by backing tracks produced by Lisa Petherick & Phil Pugh Pantomime is so very English and there is no other type of entertainment like it. The great thing about pantomime is kids and grown-ups can legitimately shout out and scream. The audience has to be an integral part of the production. Pantomime has it all; baddies, dances, songs, jokes, audience participation and a happy ending. This community theatre group has a great audience following playing to capacity houses. The consequence of this is that the curtain can sometimes go up a little late to allow all the audience to get settled in. Once again, the script was written by the director. All the characters of this well-loved fairy-tale were included, with one or two additions. It was not too wordy and contained plenty of “cracker” jokes and lots of audience participation. The village hall was transformed into the magical world of pantoland. The imaginative tech team used the limited stage facilities to the full. The swiping of cloths in and out took the storytelling neatly into its next location with lighting enhancing the visual effects. It is hard just to rely on just backing tracks as pantomime musical effects can sometimes add so much to the fun of set pieces. This, however, did not stop the enjoyment of the musical content which was well executed. The splendour of the costumes which is so important and with this presentation, the company certainty ticked all the boxes. The cast of twenty-one presented strong ensemble work each and character was ably supported by the others. To open the proceedings, and breaking down the fourth wall, Mary Cummins, as the good Fairy, delightfully narration brought the audience on board. Mary was also the face and voice of the mirror; she made an impact with both roles. The opposite of good is evil, and as the wicked stepmother Modesty, Tracy Cartright, complete with expressive hand gestures, cackled her jealously of Snow White, “the fairest in all the land”. Tracy earned her hisses and boos. Her servant Sparrow was played effectively by Anna Bennet. Ann Pugh created a playful character as Nanny, keeping check on her son, Sparkplug. Sparkplug, the court jester, was the Buttons of this pantomime. He created a Wishy-Washy type role with loads of audience banter and a constant stream of those pantomime jokes. Daisy Hayes sparkled and soon became a favourite with the audience. Just a footnote, please be aware of voice levels. In most pantomimes there are the “skin” parts; a cow, a cat, etc., but not is this production. Instead there was Banjo, a glove puppet dog. Banjo was operated by the character, Seraphina. Amy Dawber brought Banjo to life with humorous interplay. Banjo’s Act II solo, “I Think I Might Be a Dog” was quite a highlight. We heard the anvil clanging and then they entered, the seven little miners played enthusiastically by the junior members of the group (average age 9). Banished, and with Queen Modesty wanting her dead, Snow White found friendship and shelter with the Dwarfs. Emily Clewes had a relaxed charm as the fugitive, innocent stepdaughter. Despite the audience telling SnowWhite not to eat the poisoned apple, she did and fell into a death-like sleep. This heralded the entry of the Prince (Dan Bennet), which, of course, meant that everything ended “happily ever after”.

DEAD CERTAIN by Marcus Lloyd Directed by Mike Jordan Droylsden Little Theatre

In its third offering of the season, Droylsden Little Theatre stepped away from farcical adventures and bittersweet comedies for an evening of thrilling mystery and intrigue. Written by Marcus Lloyd, ‘Dead Certain’ tells the story of Elizabeth, a wheelchair-bound writer and ex-dancer who employs the talents of Mike, an unemployed West End actor, to ‘star’ in a reading of her play. On the surface, this seems like an easy £400 pay-packet for Mike but as both the plot, and Elizabeth’s intentions unravel, it is clear that nothing is as it seems. In true ‘Mousetrap’ confidentiality, without wanting to give away any plot, I’ll refrain from commenting any further on the narrative - which is a clear homage to Shaffer’s ‘Sleuth.’ Suspense built steadily, layer upon layer, in Act 1 as it soon became apparent that nothing could be taken for granted. With the boundaries of truth and fantasy well and truly blurring, the members of the audience were left on the edge of their seats as the play accelerated through each new twist and turn until the shocking climax of Act 2. Set in Elizabeth’s isolated country house, the set design gave the audience a well-furnished office-cum-reception room. With walls bedecked with theatre posters, the set was simple and pleasing, with enough decoration left to manoeuvre the electric wheelchair around. I wouldn’t have said ‘country house,’ more London apartment, although the dialogue indicated differently. Props, such as programmes, decanters and office paraphernalia all suited and the guns were most effective. The shattering of the glass was a great effect and certainly shattered the tension, as did the shooting of the mannequin: great! A very simple lighting plot by Tony Birch indicated passage of time through the outside window, which was important in the dénouement of the play as both the audience and Mike questioned everything, including time itself. The snap black and quick tabs at the end were perfect. Sound effects were also minimal but both acts were punctuated by the tense ticking of a clock. Showtunes played when the house lights were up (‘West Side Story’ as the show finished: a good touch!) which immersed us in the ‘world of the theatre’ of the play. In an extended verbose game of cat-and-mouse, Richard Parker and Claire White took on the two roles with seeming ease and rapid-fire dialogue. Both very comfortable with the complex and repetitive speech, our actors gave two confident performances of multi-dimensional, and tormented, characters. Richard’s unravelling of Mike built beautifully as controll slipped away from him and into Elizabeth’s hands. His ‘drunk’ scenes were well-measured and not too over the top and his angry, broken, outburst a sharp contrast from the arrogant self-confidence of the character

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