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At the Norwich Theatre Royal, there no stars hogging
the limelight, no gimmickry, no irrelevant bits of nonsense - just
a fairytale brought to enchanting and spectacular life, aimed at
the child in all of us.
Successful pantomime dames are few and far between.
It's not enough to don a frock or two and paint on the slap - you
must be able to interact with your audience, and establish a good
rapport.
Taking on the role of Dame Trott and following
in the footsteps of larger than life Des Barritt, is the smaller
but no less effective, Richard Gauntlett.
Dame Trott and Jack |
Also the show's director and co-author, Gauntlett
hits just the right note whilst performing
lightning changes into anything from a frilled baked bean tin ensemble
to impossibly tight lycra Brownie outfit.
Back in our midst is Rikki Jay as Jack Trott,
whose infectious grin and easy style won us all over when he first
joined the panto five years ago. His performance
is outstanding, as always.
New to Norfolk is Brian Hibbard as the Giant's
henchman Stinkwort. He manages the impossible - to play the gravelly-voiced
Mr Evil clad in black leather whilst keeping a twinkle in his eye.
His trademark sideburns remind us that he was once part of the chart-topping
group The Flying Pickets.
Also making an impression is Kelly Shaylor as the
bewitching Fairy Snowdrop. As content, it seems, to zip about the
starry skies above the stage, as she is to stand on it. Let's see
more of Kelly please.
To see a Norwich panto would be unthinkable without
the Babes, also an established part of the Christmas tradition.
The children from the Central School of Dancing
and Performing Arts bring a wide-eyed innocence to the show, along
with some excellent dancing.
Princess Marigold and Prince Casper |
The royals this year are Princess Marigold played
by Lucy Hunter-James, a young lady with a soaring voice.
Also in
good voice is Steven Houghton. Best known for his work on
TV's "London's Burning", he's the dashing Prince Casper.
If you think you've seen Percival somewhere before,
it's Chris Rankin.
Norfolk's own contribution to the Harry Potter film he's doing some
mixing with muggles before shooting begins on the next film in February.
With its picture postcard sets and magical Beanstalk
this year's good natured production fairly bowls along, but leaves
lots of room for audience participation.
With a good smattering of local jokes and some
beautiful costumes, I expect tickets to go fast... and so they should.
Jack And The Beanstalk runs at Norwich's Theatre
Royal until 19 January, 2003.
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