ACT Reviews 2022-2023 Season

Quin was to play the Bad Witch Hazel that everyone could boo and hiss. There was the right amount of snarling at the audience. Enjoying every moment of his time on stage was Ross Provart as the Witch Hazel’s side kick, Egor. Ross had obviously thought about his character and had developed a stance and persona for himself on stage, even down to hand movements. He kept in the part every time he moved or spoke. For me, he provided one of the stand-out performances of this pantomime, and I look forward to watching him develop his acting talent in years to come. Pantomimes need other elements besides dialogue to lift the spirits, music being one of them. Claire Sweeny and Rob Hawkins provided the backing for the sung sections. There were some super song choices this year: I thought the use of ‘Needles and Pins’ during the overture was excellent for this pantomime and I have already commented on the use of ‘Shout!’ Nick Howe on sound made sure that we could all hear the songs by the chorus but at times some dialogue was hard to hear but this may have been that the actors didn’t have a stage mic’. The choreography by Cathryn Yates was lively and used all the stage, especially in the school room scene where pupils were being just a little bit naughty. The lighting by Dan Thompson was effective and strong. The use of the gobos made nice patterns, and the UV scene was well done. I have seen a number of Alan P. Frayn pantomimes over the years and have enjoyed them all. However, with this one I did think that some of the jokes and references, such as the over use of Yellow Pages, was a little tired and needs a little updating perhaps. Having said that, this production was bright, cheerful and left me and countless others smiling as we left the theatre and looking forward to next year’s offering. Well Done!

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