A big thank you to our youngest reporter, Ashleigh Fletcher, for this review of the Stephen Hill Youth pantomime which took place 15-18 February 2012.
Hansel and Gretel Stephen Hill Youth pantomime review
A packed house at Stephen Hill Methodist Church thoroughly enjoyed the energetic romp through the traditional Hans Christian Anderson story of Hansel and Gretel, with a twist of modern and colourful dialogue.
In the story, Hansel and Gretel, having been taken into the woods by their father, have got lost and come across a gingerbread house, filled with mouth-watering sweets and chocolate. Here, however, they are taken hostage by the wicked witch, who can’t wait to treat herself and gobble up the poor children.
The show was stolen by Lucas de Brouwer, who brought comic timing to the role of Dame Buns. He also got the whole audience participating in a sing-along of ‘Three Currant Buns’ along with actions! He was ably supported by Melissa Sorrell and Olivia Battye, who played Chelsea and Ginger (the children of the Dame). All three of them certainly stood out with their impressive acting skills.
The eponymous heroes themselves, Hansel and Gretel, also made an outstanding performance; Hansel played by Zoe Edwards and Gretel played by Esther Davis. Katie Craig, who played ‘Chip’, cannot go without mentioning either. It was obvious that she had put in a lot of hard work and effort, which really showed through in her performance.
Special mention must be made for the endearing performance of the younger members of the cast. It was also clear that the talented cast were very well rehearsed, as a high quality of performance was maintained throughout the pantomime.
Scenery design by Ian Delaney and Lucy Nelson was colourful, imaginative and a treat for the eye and great credit must be given to Glenda de Brouwer and Catherine Longshaw for excellent costume work, particularly the character of Dame Buns, with his eccentric and colourful wigs!
The choreographer, Isabel MacAskill, was happy to speak to me about her role in the production. She said that they have been working on the choreography twice a week since November! It certainly paid off, judging by the terrific performances.
At the end of the play, the children emerged from the woods unscathed, with the help of their friends, Chip, Barney and PC Norman, and the audience went home having witnessed a fantastic night of entertainment
Thank you to Helen and Ian Delaney for producing and directing the fabulous performance and to Lucy and Paul Nelson, who wrote the unique and exemplary storyline.
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