, because he was just such a likeable character. It was a joy to watch him interact with each character and sing some pop classics along with Rapunzel. The evil Mother of Rapunzel, AKA, Floella (Karen Abaelu) was everything I would expect from a pantomime villain. She was evil to the core. Karen was able to find a sweet balance between the audience wanting to boo and hiss at her, but still hum along to her fabulous solos. “Bad Moon Rising” had the entire first row bopping along to this catchy tune. NOW, a pantomime would not be a pantomime without a comedy duo to add to the carnage. And Snitch (Claire Hannigan) and Snatch (Sharron Lennard) were just what the doctor ordered. They were the hapless palace guards who couldn’t guard a piece of toast, even if their life depended on it. I lost count of the number of times they let Finn slip through the net. Nevertheless, Claire and Sharron entered the stage, and you knew there would be a belly-laugh not far away. The principal cast was topped off with a wealth of talent in supporting roles, Norma Raif and Nigel Slater, as the King and Queen: Adam Charter as the hilariously funny Town Cryer, and Phil France as Captain Tom. What I really enjoyed with this production was the community feel within St Ann’s Social Centre, and not only that, but it was also the family feeling that oozed from the cast itself. The “dancing mums” and the young chorus/dancers were a joy to watch. Baby Shark had every young member of the audience on their feet and singing along with the youngest members of the cast. When reviewing shows there will always be players who stick in your mind long after the curtain falls on the finale. In this instant I was
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