Our 2025 Pantomine saw the Producer and Director combination of Steve Burton and Jackie Bingham collaborate in yet another hilarious and at times, innovative production.
From the rat filled prologue to the banished Mayor and the happy ever afters of the ending, this was a show that didn’t disappoint.
Unusually for most pantomimes, the story called for two sets of baddies.
Firstly the rats, led with menace and Germanic vocal effect by Peter Samain as King Rat. He was ably assisted by the comedic skills of Beth Rose-Waghorn as Sniffer and the youthful exuberance of the smelliest rat – Cagney played with a maturity beyond his years by Jared Bollington.
Our second baddie/villain was in the character of Boris Johansson – the feckless, devious Mayor of Hamelin whose arrogant mask slips from self praise to a completely uncivil servant as his cheating duplicity is revealed. He was portrayed in over the top panto fashion by David Bingham.
In good panto tradition, both baddies are defeated by Anthony Bunting’s Olga Von Trapp the Dame, superbly cast yet again. His performance was a tour de force which involved sausages, slapstic, and song.
He introduced the bloviating Mayor to The Pied Piper played with great aplomb by the versatile Vicki McDicken replete with recorder skills. First to rid the town of King Rat and his rodentia army; then to help The Pied Piper exile the deceitful politician to the House of Lords.
Olga was assisted by the hugely talented Jane Rainer who played, with great comic effect, her son Fred.
Like all pantomimes there was blossoming love and eventually a proposal. Gemma Buskell played principal girl who falls for Fred. The two of them have great stage chemistry together and their duet “Close to You” was delightful.
There were more notable performances by some new faces. Joe Jacob was a great calming foil to the shouty arrogance of Boris’ in the role of his hapless assistant Hans Koch. The comic brothers, Furter and Frank (not) like the sausage, played with energy by Johnny Green and Lewis Barber.
Other notable performances in supporting roles were Scoop McPress, (Sarah Morris), Arty Snaps (Sam Bailey), Willy Catchet (Alastair Skepelhorn), Klaus Getz (Linda Skepelhorn) and Erica Brummhandel (Dawn Cartwright).
Choreography was again in the hands of the amazing Miss Vicky Codling and her Funky Feet Dancers. The Hot Dog dance to close the first act was brilliantly imagined and very funny. The dancers also played rats to great effect coming on and off causing various degrees of mayhem.
Costumes were bright and colourful, with the Dame’s finale sausage hat the highlight. All made with great skill by Pauline Mason and her sewing team.
Set was designed, constructed and painted by Jackie Bingham, Alan and Ana Harper-Bourne.
Musical Director Alan Cant excelled yet again both in choice of songs (with lyrical amendments) and performing on the night with many sound effect enhancements.
All in all this sell out production of nine performances was extremely well received
The Pied Piper
Terry Reeve
24th January 2025*
ONCE again the enterprising Loddon Players have come up with a novel show turning the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin into a highly enjoyable pantomime.
As always it is a home-grown show scripted by producer Steve Burton, who has brought great creativity and imagination to the story of how rats infested Hamelin and how a piper is employed get rid of them.
The story converts naturally into the panto genre, with a King Rat introduced as the baddie and leader of the infestation, with the traditional dame role used as the leader of the inhabitants’ protests to the mayor.
Add the music dance, slapstick, humour, and colour of sets and costumes, and you have all the ingredients of a highly original and successful show.
Anthony Bunting is once again the anchor of the strong cast in the Dame role of Olga von Trump, using all his long experience to get the best out of the script.
Jane Rainer is animated as his son Fred, with the romantic thread provided by his love for Magda, played by Gemma Buskell – they complement each other well.
David Bingham takes the role of the arrogant mayor, Boris Johannson, while Vicki McDicken looks the part and is adept on the pipe (or recorder substitute!) in the title role of Pied Piper.
Peter Samain is suitably fierce as King Rat, while ten Funky Feet Dancers are the rats – lithe, nimble and suitably sinister in their dancing and scurrying back and forth on stage – they are always such a great asset to the Loddon pantomimes.
Beth-Rose Waghorn is King Rat’s lively side-kick Sniffer, and other supporting roles are filled by Jared Bollington, Sarah Colman, Sam Bailey, Linda Skepelhorn, Alasdair Skepelhorn, Johnny Green, Lewis Barber, Dawn Cartwright and Joe Jacob, with Skye Muir Robinson, Ana Harper-Bourne and Pauline Mason the chorus.
The show, which continues this evening and tomorrow (two performances),is directed by Jackie Bingham, with choreographer Vicky Codling and musical director Alan Cant.
* this report by the Beccles & Bungay Journal reporter but not as yet published has been edited for accuracy and spelling