Reviews

This report and comments therein can only relate to the particular performance seen by the Adjudicators, and any observations made may not have been valid at other performances. The Adjudication report is designed to applaud excellence, to recognise talent and to encourage self-reflection which leads towards higher standards in Amateur Theatre in Cornwall.
 
INTRODUCTION
As the programme notes tell us, satire has been around for centuries and everyone loves a witty mocking of the great and powerful.  Polruan Theatre Club has here presented its audience with an original story combining Fairytale and Nursery Rhyme elements with up to date political parody – an intriguing integration which has all the essential ingredients you want in a pantomime. Good versus evil; triumph over adversity; true friendship all play their part in the narrative, and of course the comedy must balance the drama for the audience of all ages to enjoy the story. The small stage in Polruan Village Hall presents its own tasks for any production, but we see, also from the programme, that the Club has been entertaining us since 1981, so there is mastery and experience to draw on for these challenges.
 
STAGE PRESENTATION
Set Presentation:
How lovely to have professional calls for the 15, 10 and five minutes to ensure that everyone was seated in time for a prompt start!  A single spotlight warmed the rich red tabs and a piano introduction quietened the audience in expectation.  A fairly tall stage meant that though the audience was ‘on the flat’, with the chairs carefully positioned everyone had a good view. Steps from the auditorium set centrally allowed for a ‘journey’ entrance to be made from the aisle, and other exits were provided through the wings SR/SL. On curtain up these legs were painted to depict a pastel wash sky with clouds, and an Impressionistic suggestion of foliage. The back flats showed a pretty, beautifully detailed Fairytale castle with turrets and towers, reaching high into a cloudy blue sky, and with a prominent keyhole shaped aperture to be used as part of the plot. The colouring spoke of a peaceful, untroubled land. A great contrast with the wild wood background, revealed quickly by folding the castle flats back on themselves. A moon peeped through the dark twisted trunks – some with ghoulish faces in them (one looked like the Edvard Munch The Scream painting) and the dense leafy vegetation created a spooky feel to the Wolf’s domain, with a hanging spider for fun. A single rustic stool dressed the set, used by Old MacDonald, but otherwise the small stage was wisely left clear for the action.
Lighting and Sound:
The bright daylight wash of the opening scene and the light directed onto the castle gave a cheerful look to the stage. A sharp blue LED strip above the back flats indicated that the magic Silver Shield was in place, its extinguishing being accompanied by an electrical power down sound effect and its reactivation greeted with cheers. Dark piano notes heralded the appearance of the Big Bad Wolf, together with dimmer lighting to indicate the dense forest, and the darkness (and possibly denseness) of the characters emerging into the story. Throughout, a good light flooded the stage with no evident shadows and all cast members could be seen, and the sensitive accompaniment of the pianist sitting just below the stage never overwhelmed the vocals, so all of the wittily rewritten lyrics were audible and very much appreciated.
Properties:
The Fairyland security key was properly oversized, and prominently worn. There was a charming naivety about Old MacDonald’s basket of smiling vegetables, and the clipboard voting poster and the Magna Charter folder were unpretentious and held for all to see. The bags of diamonds were rather small for the audience to appreciate, but the farmyard fowls did their best to hold some up to the light. A splendid pitchfork was wielded by Boy Blue – did he come a little too close to the chest with the pointy end on one occasion?! His ‘running away’ bindle was well stuffed and a good size to shoulder on his short bid for independence. Rat shared out his slips of words for the new anthem before a good sized board appeared to help with the Community Song. Georgie Porgie’s golf club as a walking stick did not go unremarked and the ‘Make Fairyland Great Again’ baseball cap was flourished to the delight of this audience, and had such a comical impact it has to be considered more a prop than costume.
Costumes and make-up:
Boy Blue, in his pale denim bib overall and straw hat was nicely ‘farm boy’, and his travelling cloak in soft grey worked as a coverall blanket in the woods. Upsy Daisy had an appropriately daisy pattern on her dungarees, over a bright yellow top, and her bunches were tied with cheerful ribbons all to suit her sunny disposition. Old MacDonald in his checked shirt, denims and old boots looked right in his battered hat. The three birds were nicely differentiated in their colours, but the uniform of short dungarees over coloured leggings/tights and matching t shirt tops gave a cohesive feel. Their headbands with the chickens were a whimsical touch. A leather bomber jacket and biker style trousers and boots gave us the Big Bad Wolf, with furry gloves and a good whiskered make up, under his fur hat with ears completing his dark clothing as the bully boy contrast to the Fairyland dwellers. His sheepskin disguise was very funny in its paucity of covering. The Rat, anthropomorphically dressed and rather untidy and Spiv like in his backwards baseball cap and loose jacket, looked his part in Spock-like ears and face paint incorporating well-observed teeth over his lower lip. Georgie Porgie made an immediate impression as the ruthless go-getting politician: his scarlet cummerbund and trousers gave more than a nod to a vain megalomaniac with his overlong red tie, orange tan face paint, shiny unkempt wig and the addition of his MFGA cap topping off the wonderfully funny parody. Finally, Nora Porgie fulfilling the traditional panto role of Dame, was given two costumes as befits the part – looking gorgeous in blonde curls, black and gold dress and silver platform shoes with masses of bling; one animal print fur trimmed white coat and a second in dark fur with long red satin gloves.  Large sophisticated hats topped each outfit.
In all, costumes and make up provided clues to character, suited the story, and gave extra value to the production.
 
STAGE DIRECTION
The small stage was well used, with entrances and exits slick and efficient. Blocking mostly allowed all characters to be seen, though there was a tendency to stand in an open semicircle, and for the downstage characters to move to shield the audience’s view of those upstage. Another point to note might be to resist talking to each other across the stage in profile and more importantly turning upstage away from the audience – you can talk as you enter rather than walking into place before you start your line. However, there was clearly good rehearsal for diction and projection which meant that in this small venue, the lines could all be heard – though not all accompanying facial expressions seen. Characterisation was clear, and there was some interaction in gesture and look during dialogue, when ‘active listening’ was apparent in some actors. The show had a real charm – no doubt the very funny script was largely responsible for much of it, but also the innocent informality of its presentation was so engaging.  From the opening ‘Morning Chorus’ of the Fairyland inhabitants we could guess what would be afoot in the story, with the recognisable tune, and the hand-on-heart stance. The arc of the narrative was well pointed in the stage direction, with comedy and drama being awarded equal weight, and the political irony given just the right amount of emphasis and the satire well received. The musical numbers were chosen to underscore elements in the plot rather than being inserted for the sake of showcasing individual singers.
 
MUSICAL DIRECTION and DANCE DIRECTION
The keyboard accompaniment to the songs was beautifully judged to support the singers and not overwhelm their voices. Short overtures introduced both acts, with snatches of one or two songs from the show. Suitably menacing chords announced the Wolf’s arrival in the woods, and a snatch of Hail to the Chief  appropriately heralded Georgie Porgie’s entrance. Best at Being Bad from Bugsy Malone was a cheeky rather than a menacing introduction to the Wolf, and suited his character. His With Wolf like Tread in the second act was a masterclass in how to perform a song in a whisper and yet have every syllable audible – well done, and all the funnier for it! Monty Python’s Money Song was perfect for the Rat, though its fast lyrics required the ability to do a bit of tongue twisting, and the pastiche on Cole Porter’s You’re the Top for the self-aggrandisement of Georgie Porgie was appreciated for its constant references to gold awards and cash in keeping with the persona. Diamonds are a Girl’s best Friend was a good choice for the greedy wife, and Nora’s deadpan delivery brought out the humour. MFGA was another satirical nod to the social and political mores of the moment, with the choreography of the rather scrappily executed letter shapes adding to the comedic value of the lyrics. A great, bouncy end to the first half.
The second Act began with the audience participating in the Hail to the Mayor with some enthusiasm. An interesting choice for the Community Song, but it worked to make the Mayor feel he was adored by all, and the words were easily read. Nora’s Mustn’t Grumble was a clever parody of the Chas and Dave song, with its references to Botox and silicone, and with an especially raucous response to the libido joke. Upsy Daisy’s rendition of I’ll Stand By You was lovely: a pretty and melodious voice, singing with strength and kindness. The whistling in Boy Blue’s I Whistle a Happy Tune was probably wisely left out – unless you have a really good and powerful whistle then that bit would just sound disappointing. As it was, this solo was delivered in a pleasant, tuneful voice with sincerity, and a hint of acted nervousness in the Wild Wood. Nothing Like a Deal grew as the Rat and the Wolf joined Georgie Porgie in well held harmonies, with the insistent rhythm maintained with energy. The story ended on the hopeful note of the ever popular anthem You’ll Never Walk Alone which (puzzlingly) was greeted with riotous amusement by the audience, and the spirited Reach For the Stars where the choreographed armography added a level of entertainment that roused the audience, and which wrapped up the show in a satisfyingly up beat note.
Because most of the songs had changed lyrics, it was really important for the audience to hear the words, and to their credit, the cast enunciated clearly so we were able to appreciate the humour of the musical numbers as well as enjoy the melodies.
 
INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES
Old MacDonald:
Portrayed as an even-tempered gentle man, we warmed to this character who lost his long-time position. In this mellow performance as the friendly Mayor with the care of his people and land uppermost in his heart. A pleasant speaking voice, with good, relaxed presentation.
Upsy Daisy:
The competent organiser behind the scenes, and the voice of reason and common sense, this was a rounded character with a good stance and some eloquent facial expressions. Cue biting might have been a little quicker at times, but confidence, a steady vocal delivery and a comfortable easy way of moving around the stage made this a believable character. A very sweet voice for I’ll Stand By You handling the key change well.
Boy Blue:
The hapless, always sleepy farmhand was indicated by a drooping physique and yawning, using a slowish delivery and easy-going movements.  I Whistle A Happy Tune came across easily and supported the wistful mien.  His turnaround into the pitchfork brandishing hero had a great contrasting vigour both vocally and in physicality.
Henny Penny, Goosey Loosey and Chicken Licken:
The gossipy pecking of Pick-a-Little, Talk-a-Little  at the fowls’ exits was increasingly appreciated, and it was well performed with clear diction. The three had each her own individuality, but they worked particularly well as a trio, and handled the ‘on guard’ Friend or Foe dialogue with some snappy comedy. Be careful not to drift in front of other actors, especially if you are downstage of them; and remember to move if you are being upstaged!
The Big Bad Wolf:
A good estuary accent and a strong physical presence epitomised the wicked Wolf. Nicely menacing prowling, good response to the Booing from the audience, clear diction. This was a most enjoyable performance.  The presentation of With Wolf Like Tread in a whisper was quite extraordinary because we could hear every word, and the facial expressions and gestures made it very funny to watch.
Georgie Porgie:
A wonderfully genial portrayal of the Villain, the even-toned delivery of the words that flowed so fluently and the consistency of the encouraging gestures was powerful. Using some well-known mannerisms – especially with the hands – and a nicely nuanced but not overdone accent, this presentation of an egocentric autocrat was instantly recognisable and much enjoyed.
The Rat:
As the financier behind Georgie Porgie’s bid for sovereignty, there were plenty of inferences to suggest the intellectual as well as commercial power behind the throne, the campaign manager using his wiles to promote the takeover of Fairyland. A nice mixture of deference and hidden contempt, the performative submission to the ‘Leader’ was nicely nuanced.
Nora Porgie:
This presentation of the wife of the would-be owner of Fairyland was very funny A lovely understated ‘Dame’ playing it quite quiet but with extremely good awareness of delivering the lines to the audience with knowing looks.  Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend was greatly enjoyed and the deadpan expressions during Mustn’t Grumble were appreciated by the ladies in the audience.  Congratulations on removing the feather hat leaving the wig securely in place – a feat not always successfully accomplished!
 
ENDEAVOUR, ORIGINALITY AND ATTAINMENT
You remind us in the programme that pantomime has a long and honourable history, and continues to evolve in both professional and amateur theatre. In the latter, it is often a first ‘toe in the water’ for younger players into the world of the performing arts. It is also an opportunity for whole communities to come together to create something positive, entertaining, and fun with participation for all – on stage or behind the scenes. An increasingly worthy goal when ‘face to face’ has been replaced by ‘remote’ meeting in so many areas, and electronic devices stifle conversation. This production certainly showed the worthwhile affirmation of such an endeavour: the large number of cast, backstage and FOH crew, clearly working together as a team; the audience who loved every moment, all the ‘helpers and advertisers’ noted in the programme. A true village panto. The script was a triumph that would be welcomed by many other societies, funny, witty, modern references, that had great appeal and a lot of laughs.  We enjoyed sharing this performance with you all. Thank you.
 
We are always pleased to hear any comments or queries you may have about the report.
Thank you for inviting us to see the show.
 
Jo Nicolle (Moderator)
Oriel Bennett (Adjudicator)