SHINNING a much-appreciated ray of light through the gloom of a dark February, Menston Thespians once again entertained a delighted audience with their annual pantomime.
Taking on the visual and technically challenging story of Alice in Wonderland, the drama society enjoyed a record attendance of almost 600 people, coming along to applaud their way through an action packed and very entertaining show.
The pantomime expertly directed and produced by Steve Gillett-Place, cleverly weaved the many complex characters and situations from the Lewis Carroll tale of delightful nonsense.
Taking place at the Kirklands community centre, Menston, audiences enjoyed all the aspects associated with a traditional pantomime. It was all there (oh, no it wasn’t, oh yes it was) outstanding performances by a truly talented cast, brilliant set designs, outrageous props, delightful dancing and singing and an amazing four piece band to add to the magic of the occasion. Costume and make-up teams had a field day turning zany characters into panto reality and of course, the must-see slapstick situation of a chaotic kitchen scene and a haunted dungeon added even further to the hilarity.
Leading a cast tour de force, Mia Nabarro- Steel was a charming Alice, as the title role she showed confidence, poise, and panache, acting, singing, and dancing while engaging with a wide array of Wonderland characters. Proving there is nothing like a dame, Nick Howell gave a mesmerising performance as the Duchess, dominating the stage and really connecting with the audience. Alice was ably assisted in her travels by the White Rabbit (Sarah Lee) another strong performance with a touch of German efficiency.
Every panto must have a good and bad fairy and this production was no exemption, with a Cheshire Cat (Claire Wright-Paget) who as you would expect never stopped smiling and the evil fairy in the villainous guise of the Knave of Hearts (Sally Hughes) who elicited every possible hiss and boo from the audience.
In the infamous tea-party scene, logical craziness and over the top performance was there in abundance, with Rob Gillett- Place playing an exquisite, ever so slightly crazy Mad Hatter and an equally mad March Hare (Keith Galvin) was accompanied by an adorable Dormouse (Sophie Paget).
The other characters who met Alice in this production were the Caterpillar (Matt Hardin) with his entertaining rendition of Cocoon-a-Matarta, Mock Turtle (John Ealden) who had some of the corniest gags available, giving the audience the opportunity to giggle and groan in equal measures. No panto is complete without the comical bumbling duo and this was provided by Tweedle Dum (Charlie Birkett) and Tweedle Dee (Ruth Birkett) who provided hilarious set pieces, with some subtle overtures of Laurel and Hardy. Completing the principles were the Domineering Queen of Hearts(Elaine Galvin) well balanced in comic timing by her subservient husband, the King of Hearts (Wanda Bruijel).
An ensemble of very energetic and enthusiastic chorus added to the delights of the show as they took part in some outstanding and highly challenging song and dance routines, led by dance captain (Darcie Clegg). Audiences were entertained with such visual highlights as the flower ballet and tea-pot dance. A very professional four-piece band also helped to match a lively mixture of song and dance numbers, perfectly suited to the story.
The society launched the production with a grand opening night where the audience were invited, on the entering the community centre to go down a specially created Rabbit Hole in order to enjoy refreshments at a well-stocked bar, children of all ages were invited to come along in their favourite fancy dress with prizes going to the most outstanding costumes. Rory, Rex and Pippa Earley, winners of the village wide Wonderland trail were presented by the White Rabbit with a cast signed copy of Alice in Wonderland, kindly donated by the Grove Bookshop Ilkley.
Society publicity member, Keith Galvin, said: “From the standout performances to the superb behind the scenes production team, fantastic band, chorus and understudies, costumes and technical, front of house, chaperones and everyone in between it was a magnificent effort from all.”
Menston Thespians is different to lot of amateur dramatic society in the sense that everyone is welcome, and everyone is involved whether acting or part of the production team, it’s like an extended family who come together and have great fun in putting on a great show.
The society is always looking for new faces who would like to tread the boards or relish a challenge in many production areas like set design and building, costumes, sound and lighting or front of house contact menstonthespians@hotmail.co.uk
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here