Reviews
The following links are reviews of pantomimes written by Louise Anne Bateman.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
COS Musical Theatre
Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
Reviewed by: Jose Harrison (NODA representative) on Saturday 11th Jan.2014
Venue: The Hawth, Crawley
Type of Production: Pantomime
Director: Heather Kemeys
Choreographers; Helen Fallowell, Charlotte Cosh, Karen Durrell, Nita Graham
SHOW REPORT
I feel very tempted to review this as a junior show as it had so many youngsters in the cast. There was a total of 31 juniors and children either dancing, acting as dwarves or providing the chorus, much needed in any production. They all showed great enthusiasm and undoubtedly learned a good deal of stage craft from the experience. If we don’t encourage the younger generation to fall under the spell of Amateur Dramatics then the future of our societies would look very bleak. The nine adult members of the cast worked hard to bring us the story line which was a very unusual version. Snow White (Anika Lefreve) was portrayed as a tough and, in their words, feisty young woman quite capable of looking after herself. She took on a fight with a dragon and killed it single handed which didn’t quite fit in with someone who ran away from problems at home. Her singing was very strong throughout especially ‘Whistle while you Work’ with the Dwarves and ‘Don’t stop believing’ which was beautiful. Her duet ‘Everything has Changed’ with The Prince (Helen Fallowell), who performed with panache, was impressive. Silly Billy and Dame Judi (Glen Cowlard and Robert Carpenter) thrilled the small children with their jokes, antics and plenty of sweets for the young in the audience and Alex and Xander (Nita Graham and Louise Anne Bateman) performed a good “Laurel and Hardy” type double act. Rose (Jo Williams) was a delight as the very unusual version of the Magic Mirror and Richard (Colin Barnes) looked the part as the Huntsman but the star of this production was the Wicked Queen (Beccy Cowlard) whose performance was head and shoulders above the rest being both impressive and thoroughly unpleasant from start to finish.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
Reviewed by: Jose Harrison (NODA representative) on Saturday 11th Jan.2014
Venue: The Hawth, Crawley
Type of Production: Pantomime
Director: Heather Kemeys
Choreographers; Helen Fallowell, Charlotte Cosh, Karen Durrell, Nita Graham
SHOW REPORT
I feel very tempted to review this as a junior show as it had so many youngsters in the cast. There was a total of 31 juniors and children either dancing, acting as dwarves or providing the chorus, much needed in any production. They all showed great enthusiasm and undoubtedly learned a good deal of stage craft from the experience. If we don’t encourage the younger generation to fall under the spell of Amateur Dramatics then the future of our societies would look very bleak. The nine adult members of the cast worked hard to bring us the story line which was a very unusual version. Snow White (Anika Lefreve) was portrayed as a tough and, in their words, feisty young woman quite capable of looking after herself. She took on a fight with a dragon and killed it single handed which didn’t quite fit in with someone who ran away from problems at home. Her singing was very strong throughout especially ‘Whistle while you Work’ with the Dwarves and ‘Don’t stop believing’ which was beautiful. Her duet ‘Everything has Changed’ with The Prince (Helen Fallowell), who performed with panache, was impressive. Silly Billy and Dame Judi (Glen Cowlard and Robert Carpenter) thrilled the small children with their jokes, antics and plenty of sweets for the young in the audience and Alex and Xander (Nita Graham and Louise Anne Bateman) performed a good “Laurel and Hardy” type double act. Rose (Jo Williams) was a delight as the very unusual version of the Magic Mirror and Richard (Colin Barnes) looked the part as the Huntsman but the star of this production was the Wicked Queen (Beccy Cowlard) whose performance was head and shoulders above the rest being both impressive and thoroughly unpleasant from start to finish.
Robin Hood and His Merry Women
From The Crawley Observer, January 2015 (original link)
Robin Hood and His Merry Women, COS Musical Theatre, The Hawth Studio, Crawley, until January 18
Christmas has long gone but the panto season isn’t quite finished yet with a few societies still offering their yearly dose of songs, slapstick and silliness.
COS Musical Theatre’s Robin Hood and His Merry Women is at The Hawth, Crawley, until Sunday, January 18, and provides enough to keep the young ones entertained.
Robin’s back from the Crusades only to find that his land and the local children have been captured by the wicked Sheriff of Nottingham on behalf of the selfish Prince John. The simple plot, which makes room for plenty of classic panto routines (‘It’s behind you!’) and rock ’n’ roll tunes (‘The Boys Are Back in Town’), sees Robin and his sidekick Much team up with the women of Nottingham to get their kids back.
The Hawth’s studio is a small space for panto and the songs are sung at a lower volume than they would be in a theatre, but the spirited performers, especially the younger ones, inject a lot of energy into the tightly choreographed dance routines.
Kevin Wort and Anika Lefevre give the show’s best singing performances as Robin Hood and Maid Marian. Kevin, who made his debut with COS in South Pacific, seems at home on stage, giving a charming performance and casually delivering some crafty double entendres just for the adults.
Glen Cowlard is enjoyable as the sidekick Much, an overgrown kid who obviously gets the best reaction from youngsters, especially when he invites a group onstage to take part in the fun.
Robert Carpenter puts on a boisterous display as the show’s rather gruff Dame, Sister Tuck, while Colin Barnes hams it up a treat as the rotten Sheriff. The villain’s attempt to woo Maid Marian with an oversized fake moustache is delightfully absurd.
Surprisingly, Adrian Locke’s Prince John doesn’t seem that evil and it’s difficult to boo an adversary who’s more of a spoiled brat than a criminal mastermind. He’s pretty funny though and Adrian looks like he’s having a whale of a time with his laughably effete, drawling baddie.
As expected, the best moments of this panto involve more traditional elements. The ‘If I Were Not Upon The Stage’ routine rarely fails to get a laugh and the version presented here has the audience in hysterics as soon as the shaving foam pies are used.
COS Musical Theatre’s next shows will be Pirates of Penzance, May 2015, and Hairspray, October 2015. To get involved visit www.cosmusicaltheatre.com or the group’s Facebook page.
Robin Hood and His Merry Women, COS Musical Theatre, The Hawth Studio, Crawley, until January 18
Christmas has long gone but the panto season isn’t quite finished yet with a few societies still offering their yearly dose of songs, slapstick and silliness.
COS Musical Theatre’s Robin Hood and His Merry Women is at The Hawth, Crawley, until Sunday, January 18, and provides enough to keep the young ones entertained.
Robin’s back from the Crusades only to find that his land and the local children have been captured by the wicked Sheriff of Nottingham on behalf of the selfish Prince John. The simple plot, which makes room for plenty of classic panto routines (‘It’s behind you!’) and rock ’n’ roll tunes (‘The Boys Are Back in Town’), sees Robin and his sidekick Much team up with the women of Nottingham to get their kids back.
The Hawth’s studio is a small space for panto and the songs are sung at a lower volume than they would be in a theatre, but the spirited performers, especially the younger ones, inject a lot of energy into the tightly choreographed dance routines.
Kevin Wort and Anika Lefevre give the show’s best singing performances as Robin Hood and Maid Marian. Kevin, who made his debut with COS in South Pacific, seems at home on stage, giving a charming performance and casually delivering some crafty double entendres just for the adults.
Glen Cowlard is enjoyable as the sidekick Much, an overgrown kid who obviously gets the best reaction from youngsters, especially when he invites a group onstage to take part in the fun.
Robert Carpenter puts on a boisterous display as the show’s rather gruff Dame, Sister Tuck, while Colin Barnes hams it up a treat as the rotten Sheriff. The villain’s attempt to woo Maid Marian with an oversized fake moustache is delightfully absurd.
Surprisingly, Adrian Locke’s Prince John doesn’t seem that evil and it’s difficult to boo an adversary who’s more of a spoiled brat than a criminal mastermind. He’s pretty funny though and Adrian looks like he’s having a whale of a time with his laughably effete, drawling baddie.
As expected, the best moments of this panto involve more traditional elements. The ‘If I Were Not Upon The Stage’ routine rarely fails to get a laugh and the version presented here has the audience in hysterics as soon as the shaving foam pies are used.
COS Musical Theatre’s next shows will be Pirates of Penzance, May 2015, and Hairspray, October 2015. To get involved visit www.cosmusicaltheatre.com or the group’s Facebook page.
The Snow Queen
From The West Sussex Gazette, January 2016 (original link)
It’s now moving into the middle of January but Panto season is well and truly alive thanks to the Crawley Operatic Society. COS Musical Theatre have put on a splendid production of The Snow Queen in the Hawth Studio to give all the family some fun to beat the January blues.
Director and choreographer Anika Lefevre has put on an entertaining show which contains everything you expect in a panto. There’s a man in a dress, smutty innuendo, popular songs, dance routines and some great costumes.
The story is as follows - The Snow Queen Eira, played menacingly by Jordan Mackay, wants a husband and orders her servant Jack Frost (Adrian Locke) to find a suitable man outside of Winter Court. When the Prince of the Spring Court Kai (Kevin Wort) is kidnapped by Jack, Hannah (sweetly played by Catherine Carpenter), his best friend, vows to rescue him. And to do that she needs to complete a dangerous quest through the Four Seasons before the Snow Queen’s enchantment upon Kai is complete. For the quest she has the help of Kai’s mum, Dawn, played with great enthusiasm by Nita Graham, Meryl (the man in the dress) played with good humour by Terry Stanley, and Kai’s fairy godmother Poppy (Grace Towling). And along the way they visit pirates, led by the Pirate King (expertly played by Glen Cowlard) and encounter a pack of wolves, led by Mrs Wolf (Beccy Cowlard).
The latter had the most showbiz number of the panto with Never Met a Wolf Who Didn’t Love to Howl. Other songs included I Put a Spell on You, Hit the Road, Jack and Ain’t No Mountain High Enough. The ensemble were very enthusiastic and enjoyed some moments in the spotlight, including the terrific Minion Dance. And don’t worry, there’s plenty of audience participation and The Pirate King has great fun with selected kids on the stage towards the end. COS’ panto is packed with jokes and traditional panto fare, but it will also melt your heart.
It’s now moving into the middle of January but Panto season is well and truly alive thanks to the Crawley Operatic Society. COS Musical Theatre have put on a splendid production of The Snow Queen in the Hawth Studio to give all the family some fun to beat the January blues.
Director and choreographer Anika Lefevre has put on an entertaining show which contains everything you expect in a panto. There’s a man in a dress, smutty innuendo, popular songs, dance routines and some great costumes.
The story is as follows - The Snow Queen Eira, played menacingly by Jordan Mackay, wants a husband and orders her servant Jack Frost (Adrian Locke) to find a suitable man outside of Winter Court. When the Prince of the Spring Court Kai (Kevin Wort) is kidnapped by Jack, Hannah (sweetly played by Catherine Carpenter), his best friend, vows to rescue him. And to do that she needs to complete a dangerous quest through the Four Seasons before the Snow Queen’s enchantment upon Kai is complete. For the quest she has the help of Kai’s mum, Dawn, played with great enthusiasm by Nita Graham, Meryl (the man in the dress) played with good humour by Terry Stanley, and Kai’s fairy godmother Poppy (Grace Towling). And along the way they visit pirates, led by the Pirate King (expertly played by Glen Cowlard) and encounter a pack of wolves, led by Mrs Wolf (Beccy Cowlard).
The latter had the most showbiz number of the panto with Never Met a Wolf Who Didn’t Love to Howl. Other songs included I Put a Spell on You, Hit the Road, Jack and Ain’t No Mountain High Enough. The ensemble were very enthusiastic and enjoyed some moments in the spotlight, including the terrific Minion Dance. And don’t worry, there’s plenty of audience participation and The Pirate King has great fun with selected kids on the stage towards the end. COS’ panto is packed with jokes and traditional panto fare, but it will also melt your heart.