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Overall, a solid, side-splitting Christmas panto that the whole family will enjoy.
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Beautiful performance and songs from Jodie Miccichè who plays the dual role of Gypsy and Blue Fairy will enchant the audience throughout and energetic performances from Dion Davies and Emma Hirons as Fox and Cat respectively add a brilliant comedy value too.
In my experience, children are always the best barometers of enjoyment and entertainment value and the thrilled faces at my performance and the loud and enthusiastic voices certainly showed me that a wonderful time was had by all.
It was brilliant fun that the whole family will enjoy, I know I did.
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His unexpected death earlier this year was a huge blow for everybody involved in the company. What happened next? Should the show go on? How do you replace somebody as inextricably linked with the RCT panto as Frank? These were all huge questions director and writer Richard Tunley, together with the cast and crew, had to answer.
Thankfully, it was quickly decided that what Frank would have wanted most is for the show to go on.
Of course, it was different without his sizeable presence on stage, but it was with no little enthusiasm that the crowd threw themselves headlong into another superlative knockabout romp.
The cast brilliantly surmounted the lack of a dame by deploying a genius plot device that allowed Vickery’s “voice” to be heard once again.
What RCT pantos have over many of their big city rivals is heart and soul. A lack of technical budget means storytelling is paramount. In Tunley they have a master of his craft and in a cast which is more one big family, where a core of cast members return every year, there is continuity and camaraderie.
The interplay between Lee Gilbert (as the sinister Fleshcreep), our hero (Maxwell James as Jack Trot) and his younger brother, the always livewire Ryan Owen, was an exuberant joy.
They looked like they were having the best time – and that’s because they were.
There were some beautiful nods to Vickery’s memory – not revealed here so as not to spoil the poignancy or emotional impact, but by the end of the pantomime you will have had tears in your eyes – either through laughter or the tug of the heartstrings.
Jack and the Beanstalk is a fitting tribute to Vickery, but ultimately a wonderful panto.
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CHRISTMAS just wouldn’t be Christmas without a good old fashioned pantomime and the season got off to a cracking start with Theatr Clwyd’s production of Dick Whittington.
Although a traditional show, the cast made plenty of references to modern day life and the town of Mold in particular and features the welcome return of Phylip Harries as Dame.
He’s been absent the past couple of years and while the dames have been extremely good, he does stand out as one of the best around.
As Sarah the Cook he appears in some fabulous dresses and delivers some hilarious ad-libs and his handling of the audience is spot on.
I’m sure Kevin in particular must rue the day he bought seats in the front row.
The rapport between the cast is obvious – they’re having a whale of a time, and so do the audience on the opening night of the show.
Well-wishers typically say “break a leg” to performers before they go on stage to perform. It’s an ironic way to wish good luck, although the origin of the phrase remains obscure.
Unfortunately any expressions of good fortune didn’t work for leading lady Emmy Stonelake who suffered a bad leg injury during a rehearsal.
She was replaced, at very short notice, by assistant director Francesca Goodridge.
She had an excellent show and earned a well deserved round of applause at the end from both the audience and her fellow cast members.
Christian Patterson’s script is a mixture of originality, double entendres and groan-worthy gags and while some of the lines are risque at best they are not overly smutty.
An unusual feature of Theatr Clwyd pantomimes is that the cast also play instruments and most are on stage throughout either singing or playing guitar, keyboards, saxophones or trumpet.
Royce Cronin, as King Rhydian the Rat, makes a hissable villain and Anna Westlake is a glittering, rhyme speaking, no-nonsense Fairy Betty Bowbells.
Dick Whittington is played by the affable Irishman Peter Cooney, while Lynwen Haf Roberts, who made a fantastic villain in last year’s production, returns this year as Sultana.
In addition to the live cast the contribution of Brian and Brenda the badgers and assorted rats and mice are very funny.
The set makes full use of the large Theatr Clwyd stage and combined with the lighting and sound design is particularly impressive. Full use is made of the auditorium too by director Zoe Waterman.
In short – a rollicking traditional panto.
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