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ADJUDICATION – 20TH February 2010 INTRODUCTION – With an audience eagerly awaiting the commencement of this pantomime which appeared to be two for the price of one – Robin Hood AND Babes in the Wood, Andrew Hodgson and I arrived to be welcomed in friendly manner. With programmes given to us and having been escorted to our seats we were able to observe the extended stage, colourful with painted flowers, and peruse our programmes. It was useful to have pictures of the cast as they were many in number and there was plenty of information generally to absorb. I was slightly concerned that in the director’s notes we were made aware that the first half was to be “quite long” but the second act much shorter and wondered if this would change the balance of the production. The announcement at the beginning settled everyone and was clearly given. THE SET – Apart from a few creases in the back cloths the various scenes they exhibited assisted in establishing place and, where appropriate to the action, they were very colourful. Indeed those scenes set in the woods contrasted well with those set indoors or in the town. The stage crew, under the management of Marcus Nixon, ensured that changes went smoothly albeit there was a moment in the middle of Act I when we were all left in darkness with nothing happening for rather too long. The sets certainly took the audience from place to place as the storyline progressed and made good backdrop to the action and allowed space for the actors to move easily. PROPS – With so many scenes requiring such a variety of both personal and stage props those organising them should be congratulated on apparently providing them on time and in the right place. Rachelle Curtis, as the manager, ensured their suitability and that, in some cases, they could endure heavy use. As the set did, they helped to establish the period. LIGHTING & SOUND – Always of great importance in any pantomime in order to create mood and highlights in the action and to support characters – whether it be a spot on a soloist, a fight or the grand entrance of a dame. In this production, with scenes in front of the curtain and actors using the centre aisle those working follow spots were kept very busy and overall did an accomplished job. The lighting was good and interesting especially the use of UV which certainly gave the magic to the last scene in Act 1. The original music suited the storyline well and, as Andrew put it, was toe tapping and singable. There were plenty of songs for the various members of the cast to demonstrate their singing skills and it did not seem necessary for radio mikes to be used. It appeared that some of the vocals were on the backing track however and seemed to disturb the flow and characterisation of those singing. Sound effects were efficiently on cue and most effective. Well done. CHOREOGRAPHY – Poppy Cunnell organised the dancing and movement to suit those involved so that whatever the ages of the dancers they moved well together. It was obvious that everyone knew what they had to do and where they had to be. The result was that the dancing added another dimension to the pantomime. Perhaps some of the dancers concentrated so well that they forgot to show smiling faces at all times but it was nevertheless a good effort. COSTUME & MAKE-UP – There were so many of these to prepare but the wardrobe mistress and her assistants created colourful costumes which helped to clarify the characters and which generally stuck with the period we associate with Robin Hood. Lady Marian could, perhaps have had a costume that showed off her charming personality a little more but Robin Hood looked dashing and his friends of the forest wore costume that clearly indicated something of their characters. The guards were well suited and the whole cast looked extremely colourful specially, of course, the Dame. Make-up was nicely exaggerated where necessary whilst the romantic characters looked youthful and such as Cacophone and Methanole were made up to enhance their characteristics. PERFORMANCES –
Armand-a-Legg/Mr. Weakley – Described as a sort of Minstrel, Mark Burns had an important task –“to get the show on the road”. It was therefore unfortunate that he was difficult to hear( the music was too loud) and seemed rather nervous. He looked the part and moved easily but it would have been better if he had addressed the audience with greater gusto. As a Guard he fulfilled the task suitably. The Sheriff – Rob Warne could have directed his first lines to the entire audience, it would have made greater impact, but his eye contact appeared to stop after the first few rows. Dialogue was clear if a little slow at times but Rob certainly had the demeanour of this character even if rather ponderous at times. Methanole & Cacophone – Fran Davies and Lesley Mercer worked well as a team although their characters were not very sympathetic to each other – this made a good contrast. Dialogue needed greater projection but facial expression especially that of Cacophone was very telling. Robin Hood – This performance had all the attributes of a traditional Principal boy. Pippa Revell played and sang the part with confidence and certainly had the audience on her side. She worked well with the other characters and especially developed the romantic image with Marian. Pippa played the part with energy and responded promptly to her cues. This was a convincing performance. Well done. Guards 1 & 2 – Young Benie Davies and Max Burns, both looking very much their part, lived up to their description of being ”unthinking tools of the State”. They moved well in character and appeared rather as automatons – fitting to their description. Lady Marian –This was a spirited performance by Poppy Cunnell. She spoke well and both in voice and face she expressed her thoughts and feelings convincingly. Poppy had good rapport with Pippa and sang well. This was a pleasing performance. Along with her choreographing the dances Poppy was kept busy in this production. Marian’s friends - Sophie, Maisie, Hannah and Poppy formed a good team and danced well together. Hannah was especially lively but they all worked with energy and listened well. Jack B. Nimble & Jack B.Quick - Again, these two worked together and the way they reacted together created an impression of their characters - ne’er do well and good for nothing. Whilst the costumes looked good it soon became apparent that the hoods bothered both Danny and Ben which caused some distraction. Their humorous business would have been good as it was performed with confidence but pace was often lacking. Whether to cover for scene changes or for other reason it is essential that humour is not too slow in being delivered. They had a great deal to do and synchronized well with each other. Both showed an aptitude for playing these characters. Joan of Bakewell – The task of a “Dame” is to not only work with the rest of the cast but also feed the audience and control their responses. Keith Raby had colourful, indeed vivid, costumes which certainly he wore with great aplomb. Keith did not play the character as a particularly warm personality but as the pantomime progressed he did communicate jokes to the audience and certainly got response from the adults in the audience. Edward & Eleanor of Swindon – Charlie Partridge and Lydia Wombwell as the babes dressed in red and yellow looked suitably coy and in need of protection. Both of them were attentive and responded well to what was happening around them. Will Scarlet - Lauren Mercer looked sufficiently merry but could have had a little more “swagger”. Alan-a-Dale – As the others in this merry band Laura Pitchell had to quickly establish her character and could have shown more vitality in her reactions. Much, the Miller’s son – Alex Warne also needed to establish the character quickly. He made a good effort to do so. Friar Tuck – Perhaps Phil Burns could have appeared somewhat more merry but he certainly looked the part. 1st-4th Child –These young four appeared confident and responded to the action around them efficiently. Annie Oldiron – Annabel Kimber certainly looked and spoke in a disgruntled manner creating her characterisation quickly as required and she spoke out clearly. Guards 3 & 4 –Alice Pembroke and Lucy Evans had good facial expression to define the nature of these two guards and their movement was nicely in unison. Dan of Ambridge – Justin Davies appeared confident on stage. Sir Guy/King Richard – both actors made the most of these small parts. Chorus - With the many differing parts to play those in the chorus responded to each situation with concentration and danced and moved confidently. There were times, however, when they appeared in straight lines which blocked other characters. DIRECTION – Firstly taking on the writing of script, composing songs and then directing such a large cast should be commended. It must have been a lot of hard work. It should be applauded that so many people of such a wide age span were involved in the production. The technical contribution was good and enhanced the visual and sound experience for the audience. There was colour in both costumes and set. The script followed a traditional “panto” storyline with the good, the bad etc. and there was singing and dancing. It was a pity that rapport with the audience, especially with the children, was slow in coming and did not seem to flow easily, nor was it always controlled which slowed the pace considerably. We were warned of the differing lengths of each half but it would have been preferable to have considered trimming the script in order that children, especially, did not have to sit for so long – there was some fidgeting. Whilst the UV scene offered us a touch of magic this was not true of other scenes where the pace became too even and slow. Direction should make clear to the actors how scenes have to be paced and ensure cues are always taken up promptly. Nevertheless this was an adventurous production and congratulations on getting so many people involved in what must have been fun in the making. Adjudicator – Kate Sheffield
Assisted by – Andrew Hodgson |
