Once Upon a Pantomime

Darlington Theatre Players' Once Upon a Pantomime is lots of your favourite pantomimes smashed into a single (if a little convoluted) story. Featuring all our favourite pantomime tropes, including lots of opportunities to boo, cheer and say “aw”, baddies, goodies, a dame and singing and dancing. It is playing to healthy, noisy audiences at the Marloo Theatre.

Every pantomime needs a good villain, and this show has four. Candice Preston, fast becoming renowned for character roles, expertly physicalises Rumpelstiltskin, and collaborates with a trio of “out there” witches. Chantelle Pitt (Belladonna), Suzy Jane Wakeling (Mother Hemlock) and Ellien Warden (Poison Ivy) are a formidable trio and stir up the audience with relish.

Connor Matthiessen is a delight as our dame, Rosy Parker, and wearing some of the most stunning of the fairy-tale costumes created by a team lead by Marjorie DeCaux.

A posse of princesses (and a queen) make this an extra special show. Ciara Malone is lovely as the closest thing this pantomime has to a principal girl, as the spunky, and often angry miller’s daughter, Mandy, who becomes a queen. Molly Ward is a smiling and sweet Rapunzel. Amelie Ree makes the most of limited stage time as Snow White, while Lizzie Baker nicely completes the quartet as Cinderella. The four perform what appears to be a beautiful original song by Chris McRae and Leanne Van Heerwaarden, called “Flying Free”. Unfortunately, the sound balance on the day I attended meant that we couldn’t hear this song as well as we would have liked.

Juvenile leads, of sorts, are Zac Maloney and Georgia Stidwell working well together as Hansel and Gretel. Their father and stepmother Billy and Bessie Oak, not quite as neglectful as they are in many versions, are well played by Gavin Crane and Lee Kennedy.

Many pantos have a pair of knockabout young lads - often played by comedians. In Once Upon a Pantomime this responsibility sits on very young shoulders, with child actors Sully Lawrence and Ethan Lucas playing Tommy Tinker and Timmy Tailor with terrific teamwork and comic flair. Aaron Lucas also shares some of the comic relief, working well as Monty the Fool. Janice Phillips also gives us some funny moments as the flatulent Windy Miller.

Seven Dwarfs, led by Daniel Keenan as Brains, are great fun. Jackson Lucas as Hip Hop uses his impressive dance skills (he also shows some balletic strength), to create a distraction. Harley Mimetic (Smiler), Austin Applebee (Sniffy), William Swadling (Clumsy) and Austin Greene (Lazy) are all good fun, while diminutive Jessica Keenan provides a wonderful exclamation point at the end of the line with her sweet portrayal of Dozy.

Xavier Gerard nicely doubles the roles of Price Dominic and Woody Woodcutter, Clayton van Dijk creates a complex King, Alice Kosovich gives us a sassy Magic Mirror while Belinda Beatty and Sienna Stidwell round out the cast nicely. There are several fun production numbers, choreographed by Natalia Myślińska.

The show is accompanied by a costumed and talented three-piece band - Musical Director Chris McRae, Assistant Musical Director Leanne Van Heerwaarden and Assistant Musical Director Kieran Ridgway - playing a variety of instruments and edging in on the action. Director Guy Jackson also appears in a clever cameo.

Luke Miller’s set design, including an impressive tower and major set pieces provides some fun surprises and the production is given some fun lighting states in Bailey Fellows and Devlin Turbin’s design.

Lovely to see an audience thoroughly engaged and interacting with the show (and providing at least one unintended laugh). Once Upon a Pantomime is good, clean family entertainment.

Kimberley Shaw