Jack and the Beanstalk DATED 23Rd January 2020
SOCIETYMorpeth Pantomime Society
VENUESt. Edwards School. Morpeth
TYPE OF PRODUCTIONPantomime
DIRECTORDavid Swinton
CHOREOGRAPHERLUcy GammerReportAuthor: Kathryn Curry
Morpeth Pantomime Society once again wrote their own panto under the expertise of Gordon Carr and Chris Davies and it was a winner. The society continues in being very successful in encouraging youngsters to take part and it is so lovely to see so many of them on stage performing with confidence and enthusiasm. As ever the community spirit that is so evident in this society begins the minute you enter the doors into the foyer where as always, I was warmly greeted by the ever enthusiastic chairman Bruce Enion. The age old panto story of Jack and the Beanstalk is a classic and with Morpeth’s now familiar brand of ‘pantoisation’ the imagination of the writers made this panto unique and very successful.
A choice of good musical numbers from the upbeat band soon had us tapping our toes and relaxing into the thrills and spills of ‘Pantoland’. The staging, lighting and sound are all managed extremely well by the in house crew of youngsters from the King Edward VI High School. These youngsters are to be commended for their efforts to make the show run smoothly and efficiently. The sets were artistic and authentic and with good lighting which was imaginative we were treated to very colourful scenes. The set construction team certainly showed what wonderful skills and vision they had, with help from the production team. Lucy Gammer showed her artistic side with very imaginative choreography and the routines were slick and emphasised the enjoyment everyone was having by the enthusiastic participation on stage. Costumes were all in house and what an achievement for Pat Ennion assisted by Lucy Gammer. They were superb and must have taken endless hours to make and co-ordinate and Pat and Lucy are to be fully commended for their achievement. What an imaginative spectacle they created led by Pat.
The cast as usual were spot on and very well cast in their roles. Main principals were strong and complimented by those who played the minor roles. ‘Dr Z Rocketoff’ Eric Tolman created an electric atmosphere on stage as the ‘baddie’ which he plays to perfection. His diction is excellent and he is always dynamic on stage. ‘Jack’ Martha Hornett gave a very sound performance and against ‘Gerty Gogglebox’ David Clarke the dame the duo worked so well together. David was very funny and had the audience in stiches with his characterisation. The introduction of the ‘Delilah’ cow was loved by the children and Helen and Willaim Stewart inside operated their moves in walking together superbly for such youngsters. This is always a well-loved character in panto and this cow was no exception. There were so many commendable performances in this production, ‘Rambo the Robot’ William Cottis, ‘Harry’ Adam Kirby, ‘Samantha’ Lily Athey, ‘Professor Goodman’ Claire Cooper, ‘Libby’ Rosie Bowden were all good in their parts and had obviously worked hard to develop the characterisation of their parts.
Special mention must go to Shirley Clarke as ‘@thecloudfairy’ she is such an excellent character actress and her stage presence is second to none. This was a stalwart performance and as ever I thoroughly enjoyed watching her, she just has the knack of holding the audience in her hands. Minor parts were well covered and though too many to mention they are to be congratulated in keeping the action going at a steady pace.
Once again a full house which reflects the wonderful following this society has which is due to the ability to produce a really good evening of entertainment. Well done and congratulations to all both on stage and off stage for another ‘Pantomime’ winner for both audience and yourselves.
SOCIETYMorpeth Pantomime Society
VENUESt. Edwards School. Morpeth
TYPE OF PRODUCTIONPantomime
DIRECTORDavid Swinton
CHOREOGRAPHERLUcy GammerReportAuthor: Kathryn Curry
Morpeth Pantomime Society once again wrote their own panto under the expertise of Gordon Carr and Chris Davies and it was a winner. The society continues in being very successful in encouraging youngsters to take part and it is so lovely to see so many of them on stage performing with confidence and enthusiasm. As ever the community spirit that is so evident in this society begins the minute you enter the doors into the foyer where as always, I was warmly greeted by the ever enthusiastic chairman Bruce Enion. The age old panto story of Jack and the Beanstalk is a classic and with Morpeth’s now familiar brand of ‘pantoisation’ the imagination of the writers made this panto unique and very successful.
A choice of good musical numbers from the upbeat band soon had us tapping our toes and relaxing into the thrills and spills of ‘Pantoland’. The staging, lighting and sound are all managed extremely well by the in house crew of youngsters from the King Edward VI High School. These youngsters are to be commended for their efforts to make the show run smoothly and efficiently. The sets were artistic and authentic and with good lighting which was imaginative we were treated to very colourful scenes. The set construction team certainly showed what wonderful skills and vision they had, with help from the production team. Lucy Gammer showed her artistic side with very imaginative choreography and the routines were slick and emphasised the enjoyment everyone was having by the enthusiastic participation on stage. Costumes were all in house and what an achievement for Pat Ennion assisted by Lucy Gammer. They were superb and must have taken endless hours to make and co-ordinate and Pat and Lucy are to be fully commended for their achievement. What an imaginative spectacle they created led by Pat.
The cast as usual were spot on and very well cast in their roles. Main principals were strong and complimented by those who played the minor roles. ‘Dr Z Rocketoff’ Eric Tolman created an electric atmosphere on stage as the ‘baddie’ which he plays to perfection. His diction is excellent and he is always dynamic on stage. ‘Jack’ Martha Hornett gave a very sound performance and against ‘Gerty Gogglebox’ David Clarke the dame the duo worked so well together. David was very funny and had the audience in stiches with his characterisation. The introduction of the ‘Delilah’ cow was loved by the children and Helen and Willaim Stewart inside operated their moves in walking together superbly for such youngsters. This is always a well-loved character in panto and this cow was no exception. There were so many commendable performances in this production, ‘Rambo the Robot’ William Cottis, ‘Harry’ Adam Kirby, ‘Samantha’ Lily Athey, ‘Professor Goodman’ Claire Cooper, ‘Libby’ Rosie Bowden were all good in their parts and had obviously worked hard to develop the characterisation of their parts.
Special mention must go to Shirley Clarke as ‘@thecloudfairy’ she is such an excellent character actress and her stage presence is second to none. This was a stalwart performance and as ever I thoroughly enjoyed watching her, she just has the knack of holding the audience in her hands. Minor parts were well covered and though too many to mention they are to be congratulated in keeping the action going at a steady pace.
Once again a full house which reflects the wonderful following this society has which is due to the ability to produce a really good evening of entertainment. Well done and congratulations to all both on stage and off stage for another ‘Pantomime’ winner for both audience and yourselves.
Noda Review of The New Adventures of Alice 2018
ReportAuthor: Kathryn Curry
Morpeth Pantomime Society this year again decided to write their own pantomime, based on the story of ‘Alice in Wonderland’. Gordon Carr with ideas from Eric Tolman wrote this delightful script to include all the aspects of a good panto. This society is a well established panto group and their aim is to encourage youngsters to become involved and this they do with great and success. The society continues to produce their panto with a real community spirit involving lots of youngsters who take on the important roles of stage manager, back stage crew, lighting, sound and music. These youngsters are extremely efficient in their roles and ensured that the show moves along at a very lively pace. The set was colourful and very well constructed by society members and with scenery and props transported us into the land of make believe very convincingly. The action was full on and fully involved the audience from the word go.
The group has moved on and now has a full band which was extremely good with very talented musicians. All the characters in the show were well cast and I was amazed at the talent of these youngsters. Diction was superb; clear and well delivered from every single person. The costumes were simply amazing and the whole set of them had been created by Pat Ennion with help from Lucy Gammer. This was a huge task which they obviously loved doing and was a credit to their sewing and design skills. Well done ladies!
We were treated to a fun packed evening from the word go. I loved all the portrayal of the characters and their interaction with the audience. Musical routines were slick and added a real flair to the whole production. Everyone was well rehearsed and looked so happy and radiant as they performed their moves with enthusiasm. Well done to these young choreographers! An added bonus to this production was the make-up. Some of the best I have ever seen; it was quite simply ’magical’ and I loved it. Congratulations to the make-team who must have spent hours devising all special touches.
There were so many characters in this panto and they all performed superbly so is difficult to single people out but suffice to say they all gave splendid performances and were word perfect and in character the whole time. However special mention must go to ‘Alice’ Lucy Gibson who was a young and delightful girl on stage and ‘Cheshire Cat’ Lauren Hodgson who was so natural and had such excellent stage presence.
With appearances from all the expected characters in Alice in Wonderland we also were treated to surprise characters Indiana Jones, Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, Bertha, H.G. Wells, The Flintstones, Tweedle Dumb, Dumber and Dumberer, Duck, Owl, Frog, Lost Mouse and Mrs. Mouse and Octopus and even a massive T Rex dinaosaur. It was such good fun and so well written that one could not fail to thoroughly enjoy the whole production and again congratulate everyone on their individual performances.
What an accolade of talented youngsters this society has; there were no weak links and with support roles played by the stalwart senior performers in this society the evening was fun, magical and a wonderful night out. Thank you all for working so hard to make this production flow so smoothly, transporting us to a very different ‘Wonderland’ full of surprises least of none unexpected appearances of Eric Tolman and his son!!!! Well done to all for a superb pantomime and can’t wait to see how you can top this next year.
ReportAuthor: Kathryn Curry
Morpeth Pantomime Society this year again decided to write their own pantomime, based on the story of ‘Alice in Wonderland’. Gordon Carr with ideas from Eric Tolman wrote this delightful script to include all the aspects of a good panto. This society is a well established panto group and their aim is to encourage youngsters to become involved and this they do with great and success. The society continues to produce their panto with a real community spirit involving lots of youngsters who take on the important roles of stage manager, back stage crew, lighting, sound and music. These youngsters are extremely efficient in their roles and ensured that the show moves along at a very lively pace. The set was colourful and very well constructed by society members and with scenery and props transported us into the land of make believe very convincingly. The action was full on and fully involved the audience from the word go.
The group has moved on and now has a full band which was extremely good with very talented musicians. All the characters in the show were well cast and I was amazed at the talent of these youngsters. Diction was superb; clear and well delivered from every single person. The costumes were simply amazing and the whole set of them had been created by Pat Ennion with help from Lucy Gammer. This was a huge task which they obviously loved doing and was a credit to their sewing and design skills. Well done ladies!
We were treated to a fun packed evening from the word go. I loved all the portrayal of the characters and their interaction with the audience. Musical routines were slick and added a real flair to the whole production. Everyone was well rehearsed and looked so happy and radiant as they performed their moves with enthusiasm. Well done to these young choreographers! An added bonus to this production was the make-up. Some of the best I have ever seen; it was quite simply ’magical’ and I loved it. Congratulations to the make-team who must have spent hours devising all special touches.
There were so many characters in this panto and they all performed superbly so is difficult to single people out but suffice to say they all gave splendid performances and were word perfect and in character the whole time. However special mention must go to ‘Alice’ Lucy Gibson who was a young and delightful girl on stage and ‘Cheshire Cat’ Lauren Hodgson who was so natural and had such excellent stage presence.
With appearances from all the expected characters in Alice in Wonderland we also were treated to surprise characters Indiana Jones, Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, Bertha, H.G. Wells, The Flintstones, Tweedle Dumb, Dumber and Dumberer, Duck, Owl, Frog, Lost Mouse and Mrs. Mouse and Octopus and even a massive T Rex dinaosaur. It was such good fun and so well written that one could not fail to thoroughly enjoy the whole production and again congratulate everyone on their individual performances.
What an accolade of talented youngsters this society has; there were no weak links and with support roles played by the stalwart senior performers in this society the evening was fun, magical and a wonderful night out. Thank you all for working so hard to make this production flow so smoothly, transporting us to a very different ‘Wonderland’ full of surprises least of none unexpected appearances of Eric Tolman and his son!!!! Well done to all for a superb pantomime and can’t wait to see how you can top this next year.
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Noda Review of Beauty and the Beast 2016
ReviewAuthor: Kathryn Curry Morpeth Pantomime Society this year again decided to write their own panto based on the story of Beauty and the Beast. Gordon Carr, the Director, is to be commended for his writing of the script. This society produce their panto with a real community spirit involving lots of youngsters who take on the important roles of stage manager, back stage crew, lighting, sound and music. These youngsters are extremely efficient in their roles, and ensure that the show moves along at a lively pace. Set, scenery, props and costumes were colourful and most appropriate, adding to the success of the show. The audience were quickly involved in the action. The characters were well cast and it is praise indeed to say what an extremely talented bunch of youngsters performing on stage this society has. The show featured all the elements of pantomime characters and the cast worked hard to give the audience plenty to ‘hiss and boo’ and ‘cheer’ about. It was a-fun packed evening. Pippa Gammer was excellent in the role of Belle, especially as she is so young. She acted and sang so well, was word perfect and interacted convincingly with all the characters. Sarah Johnson (Prince Henri) made a good match against Pippa, and together they were a lovely leading couple. Gill Tait was suitably sinister in her role as the wicked element, Nasteesia. Dame Gertrude was a likeable character and Andy Cottis gave us much to chuckle about in the role, as did the comedy duo of Eric Tolman and Chris Davis (Horace and Harry) who never missed a comedy trick, and worked extremely well together. Ellie Cape, as the good fairy, Floribunda, acted well and gave a sound performance in a modern fairy-like manner, which was most refreshing. Shirley Clark (Garlic) is always a joy to watch as she is such a good actress, she was ably assisted by Jonny Wilson as Mini Garlic. Together they made excellent gardeners in the ‘Rose’ garden, especially in their delivery of the ‘Compost’! All the supporting principals were very good in their roles and kept the show going at a good and lively speed. A special mention must go to youngster Elliot Tolman (Charlie) who was a real character and so enthusiastic and lively, giving a sparkling performance. This was a real community effort and a skilful production involving the enthusiastic audience at every opportunity. Everyone had a wonderful evening of entertainment provided by this very talented pantomime group. Well done to all involved in this very successful production |
Noda Review of Peter Pan 2015
ReviewAuthor: Kathryn Curry Morpeth Pantomime Society, in their production of Peter Pan, this year used an original script written by their producer, Gordon Carr, and it worked very well in this school venue with limited stage area and lack of space for a large set. It was good to see the involvement of 'King Edward VI' school pupils who constructed and painted the set, as well as providing the small band ensemble, lighting and sound. The introduction of live music this year was a really great addition and gave the cast a super backing for their singing. The set was original, and it was good to see that it made best use of the stage. I particularly liked the ‘Lost Boys’ underground hideout on the stage right apron. It enhanced the area and was well planned and so effective. The whole show boded well and whilst the Peter Pan story is more a show, rather than a pantomime, the company had taken great care to successfully include all the usual pantomime expectations. The principal parts were well cast and they were obviously enjoying themselves, therefore the audience were soon enthusiastically joining in wherever there was a chance. Set changes moved along swiftly and kept the running of the show going at a good pace. Having enough cast to have separate ‘pirates’ and ‘indians’ gave us a good contrast and their costumes and make-up were excellent and very colourful and eye-catching. There is a huge involvement of children in this society and they were well rehearsed in their moves and singing, as well as being supported by enthusiastic and experienced adults. The dancers from the ‘Centre Stage Theatre School’ were a lovely addition to the show and I would love to see them do more routines and show their versatility. They are extremely good and their ballet routine was beautiful and showed off their talents to the full. Principal roles were authentically played and each character was reflected in the good acting. In the colourful opening scene ‘The Darling Family’ were convincing in their respective roles. ‘Dora Dyson’, the dame, played by Chris Davis, arrived to lots of chuckling by the audience and was colourful and entertaining and, though I know it is difficult to both ‘work in’ and ‘find’ appropriate shoes, I would say start looking now for next year as the sound system picked up every step and the clomping around was a little irritating, though Chris worked hard to cover it. ‘Peter Pan’ was played by Lewis Gammer and looked just the part and complemented his entourage of ‘Lost Boys’. The ‘Lost Boys’, Lauren Hodgson, Ellie Cape, Jonny Wilson and Chris Johnstone, were excellent. They spoke clearly, had each developed a realistic personality, and sang exceptionally well. Pippa Gammer, playing ‘Tinker Bell’, was just perfect, and she also performed a lovely singing solo. She is a talented young lady and I hope we see more of her in the future and even more singing. All the supporting roles were well executed and complemented the main principals. However huge applause must go to Tony Jackson, playing ‘Smee’,and Eric Tolman, playing ‘Simm’ who made a wonderful comedy duo who worked so well together, the audience loving their hilarious antics. I gather it was Eric’s first time on stage and he rose to the challenge. What a star he was, with so much energy and charisma, a wonderful addition to this society. From the laughter in the audience and huge applause, it was obvious that the tireless effort put in to stage this production was much appreciated. A thoroughly enjoyable evening and as usual meeting the cast, crew and production team was a real pleasure. With the introduction of live music this year, I look forward to even more singing from the whole cast next year. Well done to everyone for a very successful show and making me so welcome |
A lovely write up in The Morpeth Herald with some very excellent comments from Joan Tebbutt our Mayor who recently attended our Old Time Music Hall.
Presenting the charity cheque to Barnabus Safe and Sound
PANTOMIME performers took centre stage again to present a charity cheque.
Two junior members, who played Hansel and Gretel in Morpeth Pantomime Society’s production, handed £120 to Barnabas Safe and Sound.
The donation, which was collected by Barnabas Chief Executive Chris Menzies, was raised during the 2013 panto run.
Society Chairman Bruce Ennion said: “It is a brilliant charity to raise money for. Hansel and Gretel found themselves homeless for a period and Barnabas Safe and Sound provides emergency accommodation on a night-by-night basis for young people in immediate housing crisis.
Two junior members, who played Hansel and Gretel in Morpeth Pantomime Society’s production, handed £120 to Barnabas Safe and Sound.
The donation, which was collected by Barnabas Chief Executive Chris Menzies, was raised during the 2013 panto run.
Society Chairman Bruce Ennion said: “It is a brilliant charity to raise money for. Hansel and Gretel found themselves homeless for a period and Barnabas Safe and Sound provides emergency accommodation on a night-by-night basis for young people in immediate housing crisis.
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