Feb 02 - It’s Panto Time Again! – A Review By Julian Felice
By Julian Felice
It is easy to unfairly underestimate the scale of the undertaking that Trafalgar Theatre Group takes on every year with the production of its annual pantomime. With a cast of over sixty – including numerous children -, each with their costumes, songs and dance routines – to say nothing of the big, colourful sets – staging such a production is no mean feat, and Trafalgar – especially long-time director Margaret Seed – should be applauded for their dedication to this successful venture. Over many years, the group has honed the art of staging this celebration of silliness, much to the benefit of the local community.
In pantomime, plot is less important than the playful set pieces, audience routines and stereotypical characters that make up the formula of one of theatre’s bizarrest traditions. Sleeping Beauty was this year’s choice, but the well-known fairy tale was interspersed with plenty of opportunities for the comic business – the lazzi – of commedia dell’arte, from where pantomime takes so many of its customs. At the heart of many of these sequences was the duo of Nursie (the play’s Dame, played by Trevor Norton) and Sniffles (the jester, played by Tony Jurado). Having been Trafalgar’s leading “lady” for a few years, Trevor is developing into a highly skilled Dame, performing with great presence, charismatic personality, and a physicality that is perfect for the role. Trevor revels in the busty Dame’s cheeky and bawdy comedy, flirting with male audience members and appearing in an increasingly ridiculous range of wigs and costumes. He forms an excellent rapport with the audience – an essential skill for any Dame – and shows precise timing in his exchanges with those around him. One thing, though: there is such a thing as too much ad-libbing. With such a flamboyant Dame, it would be easy for other characters to be eclipsed, but this was certainly not the case for Trevor’s right-hand man. Tony’s Sniffles was every child’s favourite. A lisping and energetic Harlequin, this was Tony’s best performance in pantomime thus far, and he successfully managed to maintain that difficult equilibrium between stupidity, usefulness and self-parody. Tony’s playful energy makes him enjoyably watchable, and he too formed that important rapport with the matinee crowd through his infectious enthusiasm.
Also providing much of the production’s comedy was the twosome consisting of Daniel Strain-Webber and Tim Seed as Duck & Dive. Two seasoned pantomime performers, theirs was the classic double-act of clumsy, bumbling villainous henchmen. With expert timing between them, Daniel and Tim successfully conveyed the world-weariness of the roles, knowing precisely when to allow the other half to have their comic moments – a proficiency that is easy to overlook. This was intelligent casting by the director, who achieved that balance between both actors that is so key to such a partnership (something that was, sadly, lacking in the trinity of fairies). Both Daniel and Tim have that ability to make performing these roles look easy, which is, in actual fact, very far from the truth.
But emerging over what was already a very talented cast was Harriet Seed as Poison Ivy, the play’s villain. This was an excellently-pitched performance by Harriet, whose presence and watertight portrayal displayed a strong command of the role. The villain needs to work hard to make herself as unpopular as possible, and Harriet succeeded in this through her evil, brooding approach. This was Harriet in sparklingly brilliant form, and it is great for a local audience to see this experienced actress handle the role with such flair.
Also worthy of mention were some of the younger members of the cast. Both in dialogue and in song, Sarah Reilly (Princess Aurora) demonstrated that she is a promising talent with significant potential on which she can build further. Likewise, Gemma Leppard, as the Prince, showed a confidence that belies her age, although she did occasionally underplay the demands of the Principal Boy archetype. I was also impressed with the poise and creativity displayed by Lina Tonnessen, playing the role of the Chef and demonstrating that it is possible to make an impact with a small role when this is handled with imagination. Youth involvement plays a key role in preventing staleness, and Trafalgar is displaying great acumen in embracing this young talent.
Naturally, a production of such magnitude of ambition is going to have a few weaker areas, but Trafalgar was generally successful in keeping these to a minimum. Some of the chorus routines, for example, were a bit flat, though there is certainly no doubting how much the participants were enjoying the experience. This is important in pantomime, where the enjoyment of the actors can easily spread to the audience. On a technical front, some areas of the stage were a bit under-lit, and some actors must show more awareness by pausing to allow for laughs and other reactions from the audience, but, once again, this was a highly successful production by a group that is somehow capable of churning out such triumphs year-on-year, with the result that those who once enjoyed these performances as youngsters are now similarly enjoying it with children of their own, continuing the tradition of Trafalgar’s pantomime as a permanent fixture on any family’s calendar.
Julian Felice is a playwright and drama teacher. His latest work, Catharsis, was premiered last year.
