January 22 nd 2016
Front of House
This was only my second visit to Little Waltham and with the aid of my trusty sat nav, I found the hall and coming in from the cold, entered a warm building. Shown to my seat, my interval drink ordered,
I was greeted by the directors who told me a little about the group and the pantomime. The programme was well laid out and printed. All the necessary information was there including a word search which was being enthusiastically completed by a party of adults in the row behind me!
I must also mention the delicious cupcake which was served with my cup of tea. Rainbow coloured sponge, green icing and an amazing witches’ hat made from fondant icing. So amazing that I took a photo before I ate it!
Set
A range of backcloths were used to create various locations. All well painted and able to be changed very quickly so that there were no over long front of curtain scenes. The wall each side of the stage had a yellow brick road painted on it, with a wizard’s hat, stars and a staff on one side and a lightning flash, witch’s hat and broomstick on the other.
Music
A two piece band, Dave Perry on piano and Trevor Lee on drums, provided a good selection of music pre show and accompanied the singers very well.
Lighting/Sound
The stage was well lit and spotlights were used effectively, as when Dorothy burst into song and the
Wizard was singing in his cage. Green light was used to show the Emerald City and when Edna took the ruby slippers, the lighting changes were slick. Sound effects were good, especially the storm and the thunderclaps.
Costumes
This was a very well costumed show, with lots of costume changes. For the opening song, the cast were wearing floral dresses or denim dungarees with straw hats, creating a bright and colourful scene. Dorothy was in traditional blue and white gingham. The wizard was resplendent in a green robe with silver stars and a long grey wig and the two witches had costumes to suit their different characters. Momby was in purple and black with a curly wig, looking very glamorous in her corset top, while Enda had green face paint and a green robe with lots of assorted wisps of fabric draped around her. The crows’ outfits were very cleverly done. They wore black tail coats with large bustles giving them a really bird like shape. Dorothy’s trio of friends had wonderful costumes. The Scarecrow looked just right, the Tin-Man had a silver morph suit and a bowl on his head and the Lion had the most gorgeous ringlets.

Make Up
Make up was very good. All the main “human” characters looked just right for panto, the witches had suitably dramatic make up and the Lion and Toto had wonderful face paint to enhance their characters. Well done.
Performances
Dorothy. Karen Allen
Karen was a likeable heroine, with a feisty manner and a very pleasing singing voice. Her interaction with Toto was very funny. Karen didn’t try to play the character as a little girl, she was a woman and it worked really well.
Aunty Em/Momby. Jenny Broadway
Jenny had the challenge of playing two totally different characters. As Aunty Em, dressed in a red check dress with an apron, she immediately established an easy rapport with Dorothy as her caring but slightly bossy aunt. Her transformation to the glamorous but somewhat scatty witch, Momby gave her the scope to sing and flirt outrageously with the Wizard.
Toto. Ken Little
From his first entrance through the audience, waving a poo bag in one hand, Ken was a cheeky, funny dog, veering cleverly from very human expressions and movements to totally dog like behaviour. He had an excellent and easy interaction with the audience and really made the most of his role.
Tin-Man. Ryan Chapman
Tim Mann, applying for the job as a combine harvester driver, in a shiny grey suit, was transformed into the Tin-Man. Ryan was suitably creaky and stiff before he was oiled and in the search for a heart, his character had an underlying pathos.
Scarecrow. Alex Lee
Alex maintained a country accent for her Scarecrow and was suitably wobbly and uncoordinated, falling down a lot and without overdoing the falls, keeping that aspect of her character throughout.
Lion. Ash Cobden
Originally Howard Lee Lyon, in a red shirt and black curly wig, Ash became the Lion – and what a lion he was! I loved his characterisation. Having wandered into Oz from Narnia, he was always slightly bemused but with a keen and enthusiastic attitude, planning to ask the Wizard for a wardrobe.
Ash was cool with a certain swagger and a habit of striking a pose which with his lovely orange ringlets looked great. I find the lion in the film really irritating – I can’t stand him! Thank you Ash for giving me a different lion and one that I found funny and endearing. Well done.

Wizard. Mike Lee
The Wizard in this pantomime is not based on the pompous little man in the film. Mike’s Wizard was much more cynical with a nice, laconic manner. He showed exasperation with poor Drip and his rendition of Please Release Me was sung and acted very well.
Drip. Tash Wootten
As the Wizard’s servant, Drip was full of bright ideas which never quite worked. Tash gave her a dithery manner with lots of puzzled and vacant expressions and I especially liked the way her eyes darted about when she was trying to use her brain. You could almost see the cogs turning.
Edna/Enid. Viv Abrey
Enid is the baddie, wanting to take over Oz and Viv stomped around the stage, cackling in a most evil manner. Her singing was very good and she had real stage presence. The two witches are sisters and although their roles were quite different, there was a good rapport between them which made their scenes together most enjoyable. Although Viv played the character as a thoroughly nasty person, I found something about her strangely likable.
Munchy. Kate Farrell
As this is Oz, Munchy is a helpful guide with an Australian accent and a hat hung with corks! A small role but Kate maintained the accent and was a happy and jolly resident of Oz.
King Crow. Martin Final
Martin had a minor role as King Crow but his presence as their leader made the bunch of crows into a more threatening force.
Farmhands/Maids. Nicola Ayris, Helen Langley, Sally Level, Jenni Money, Kim Travell
Farmhands/Munchkins/Crows. Jess Hurst, Hannah Walker, Louise Louth, Rebekah Walker
All of the cast were used well, appearing as dancers and backing singers in various costumes. The singing was very good with some nice harmonies.
Conclusion
It’s hard to define what makes a good pantomime. Is it the music, the acting, the costumes, the script or the humour? Whatever it is, this production ticked all the boxes. The music was well chosen with a nice mixture of song styles which suited the actors’ voices and group numbers were lively and uplifting. Characters were well defined, and in all cases, diction was clear. The costumes were excellent and I’m sure they helped the actors to really get into their roles. Choreography was simple but very effective and I particularly enjoyed the colourful opening with all the cast smiling and singing. I liked the slightly different take on the familiar story. There were enough elements from the original but with some nice twists and some very funny moments that made me laugh out loud
The running gag with Dorothy desperate to sing Somewhere over the Rainbow, involved some clever word play, delivered very tongue in cheek and was really funny.
All of the cast worked well together, not just the principals but all of the chorus members, too.
Whether playing Munchkins, crows or servants, they were always acting and reacting and really enhanced the show. I thoroughly enjoyed having sweets handed out to all of the audience, not just the children!

Although there was no dame in this production, there was such a good rapport between the two witches that it didn’t matter. I did wish that Edna hadn’t had her green face paint on so early in the show. She had to appear with a black veil completely covering her face, which did look rather odd, but you could see her green neck and there would have been time to have the make-up applied. I would have preferred seeing her as Edna before she became Enid.
The pace was good throughout. The show including the interval was just under two hours – a perfect length. Entertaining, funny, with good music. I really enjoyed myself and wish the group every success with their future productions.
Jane Rayner