Review – Beccles and Bungay Journal – Jan 1988
Feast of fun and music
Snow White and the seven dwarfs, this year’s production by the Loddon Pantomime Players, is a feast of fun colour and music.
Producer Joan Evans has maintained the traditional fairy story but allowed full reign to the humour provided by Maureen Larkin (Yvette), Melvin Frankland (Willie Winklepicker), Pat Potter (Claude) and Derek Loyd (Henry Hogwash) who take every opportunity to involve the audience in the performance.
Excellent costumes by Liz Bloomfield and Linda Mower, realistic scenery by Jan Johnson and some very aesthetic lighting by Ray Holland and Mike Beach provide an attractive wrapping for this appealing show.
Particularly impressive was the “magic lantern” snow scene as a background for the pleasant voice of Alexandra Chilvers (Snow Queen) and the dancing of Claire Mower (Snow Princess).
Mike Johnson ,(Eliza Winklepicker), by his confident performance, got the best from his children (Donna Holland, Paul Mower, Helen Dover, Julia Grant, Hayley Nichols, Alison Bloomfield, Claire Mower, Claire Bloomfield, Karen Jay, Anne Chilvers, Michelle Hewitt, Joanna Plane).
A strong performance by 13 year old Nicola Duffy (Snow White) and her dwarfs Matthew Vanston, Nicholas Holland, Elvis Smith, Mark Hewitt, Paul Chilvers, Nicky Crowe, Stewart ,Plane gave substance to an all-round successful production.
Two cameo parts worthy of mention are Dawn Carr (The Mirror) and her excellent diction and Paul Chilvers (Sneezy) for his perfectly timed sneezes.
Vallee Dewar as Queen Esmeralda drew the traditional boos and hisses, but was warm enough to be forgiven when all turned out happily in the end.
Bernard Hewitt and Linda Mower were the most realistic pantomime cow seen in a long time.
Joan Evans played Prince Sebastian, Tina Vanston was the school mistress, Frances Freestone was Nurse Scratchit and Ernie Long sang well as Simpkin to provide a thoroughly entertaining show.
