Mother Goose reviews- Silver group
I have never heard the story of Mother Goose before so this play was new to
me.
In all pantomimes you have the main character, usually played by a girl
pretending to be a boy, the dame, always played by a man pretending to be a
woman and the funny dude, usually the main character’s brother or close
friend. He keeps the play going, always cracking jokes and adding funny
comments. In this play the main character is going to be Mother Goose, since
that’s what the play is called but Mother Goose is the dame so this play was
different to other pantomimes because the main character was the dame
although Colin, the girl playing a boy, was the second main part.
I was very impressed with the scenery in Mother Goose because it does move
around a lot and that can be hard to do on stage but they staged it perfectly
using a screen, with the image of the fair, near the front of the stage and
blocking behind so they could change the scenery. The actors would then
perform a scene in front of this screen. The costumes were equally beautiful
because, although over the top, they all were perfect for each character. I
especially liked the bad witch’s costume as it was gorgeous and evil.
I felt there could have only been one interval as two is just was too many. I
found this strange but it worked very well. Mother Goose did need an interval
but although I see why change of scenery is important I can think of some
other ways they could achieve it.
The other thing is that the characters, Colin (played by Miriam Elwell-Sutton),
costume was a little short as it was more of a top!
All in all I really did enjoy Mother Goose.
Lucy Daunt- Highfields School
On the 27th of November I was grateful to be able to watch Nottingham
playhouse’s pantomime of 2010.
From beginning to end, ‘Mother Goose’ was really pleasurable to watch, it
captured the audience right from the start as it was utterly entertaining for
people of all ages.
The set was fabulous as always and was really clever, especially when
Mother goose has her special transformation, which was spectacular.
Priscilla’s (Nicole Webb) dancing was stunning and worked really well for her
character. All the other actors were remarkable as well, especially John
Elkington (Mother Goose) and Adam Barlow (Billy Goose). Also, I thought
Alexandra James (wicked witch Bane) portrayed her character exceptionally
well.
I thought the costumes department did a fantastic job with this show; all the
costumes were brilliant and contributed to this amazing play phenomenally.
I love watching pantomimes, mainly because the audience are involved at all
times. This has been one of the most enjoyable pantomimes that I have been
to watch and would definitely watch it again and again (Oh yes I will!) without
getting bored of it.
Alia Britton- Manning School for Girls
Panto; the most exciting event of the year! Suitable for all ages, and fun for all
the family! This year, Mother Goose!
With another fabulous performance from John Elkington as Mother Goose
herself! Mother Goose and her family risk losing everything, but fear not, The
Golden Fairy is there to cast a spot of luck and good fortune! However, Evil
Witch Bane lurks around each corner! Rosemary and Boyfriend Colin, along
with Billy, are always there to help whilst Squire Squelch and Evil Eric create
trouble! And when the loved Priscilla the Goose is taken in an evil plot,
everyone tries to help! A surprise showing from Miss Gaga makes you want to
'Just Dance'!
The set of Mother Goose creates a real fantasy world, with lots of glitter and
weird mirrors! But you should watch out, or you may just get a pie in your
face!
Well done Kenneth Alan Taylor and The Playhouse for creating another
brilliant production! An exceptionally enjoyable evening! Must see!
Sophie Wildeman- Dayncourt School
Having seen almost every Playhouse pantomime for most of my life, I had
high hopes for Mother Goose, and I wasn’t disappointed! The show, which
consisted of 3 acts, was filled to the brim with hilarity, laughter and early
festive cheer.
Although Mother Goose was originally published over 300 years ago, Kenneth
Alan Taylor has once again made it his own, and added modern twists on it,
including a fabulous “passing out like Gillian McKeith” sequence by Evil EricJonathan Race)- the nicest villain in panto!
Highlights of the evening included several excellently choreographed dance
routines (by Adele Parry), hundreds of jokes that made the entire room laugh
and plenty of audience participation.
No pantomime would be complete without a suitably dressed dame, and John
Elkington was fantastic as Mother Goose, playing to the audience at the right
moments, and providing some of the best improvisation I have ever seen! He
also managed to get the audience on their feet to sing The Proclaimers hit500 miles, no less than 3 times!!
Overall, a great evening, and a great show. I would be happy to go and see
this again, and again, and again!
Bronwen Webster, The Bluecoat School
Mother Goose is this year’s spectacular pantomime in Nottingham Playhouse,
with dazzling outfits, witty jokes and enthralling set designs for all the family to
enjoy. The lovable Mother Goose with her eccentric attire and pompous
attitude gets herself into a state when her beloved Priscilla is worth more than
anyone bargained for- and is mysteriously snatched by the Wicked Witch
Bane. This amusing tale of scheming witches, compassionate fairies, an
expensive goose and cross dressing men engages all members of the
audience and is a perfect start to a superb Christmas. The well
choreographed pie throwing scene particularly adds a comedic impact upon
adults and children alike and always triggers bouts of laughter amongst the
audience. If you’re up to date with the latest reality TV shows, the jokes
regarding ‘I’m a celebrity get me out of here’ are simply fantastic, displaying
the versatility of the actors and allowing adults to be able to relate to the
performance. Overall, ‘Mother Goose’ is an astonishing piece which truly
displays Britain’s renowned pantomime tradition during the Christmas season.
Definitely one to watch!
Cait Anne May Ramsden, The Beckett School
The heart-warming tale of Mother Goose provides first class entertainment for
all ages and was more than worth the treacherous journey to Nottingham
Playhouse through the snow! An upbeat and current soundtrack alongside
fantastic vocals lifted everybody’s mood and it was no struggle encouraging
audience participation as everyone fully immersed themselves into Kenneth
Alan Taylor’s magical world of pantomime. References to present events and
controversial individuals in the media fuelled the prominent comic element to
the show and the extravagant costumes reflected perfectly the personalities
portrayed by the cast, who demonstrated consistently fervent acting
throughout. The vibrant and intricate set enhanced the wonder of the play as
we were transported from fairground, to seaside to an evil lair deep in the
forest in a turbulent yet mystical journey. Moreover, the ingenious combination
of lighting and props adds an unexpected dimension to the performance, just
another factor which makes Mother Goose a must-see performance!
Sophie French, The Becket School
The Playhouse pantomime is always one of the highlights of my Christmas,
and this year was no exception. It was a fun, entertaining night, filled with
catchy songs, well-choreographed dancing, fantastic costumes, and, most
importantly, lots of laughs. As always the cast were fantastic – the dame
being a particular favourite of mine.
Every year the costumes appear to get bigger and better, and this year’s were
fantastic. Again, the dame stood out as her costumes were just as eccentric
as I have come to expect. Without giving too much away, do look out for a
special appearance from a very convincing Lady Gaga lookalike!
Along with the fantastic costumes was the incredible set. Every year at
pantomime season I am convinced that the stage at the Playhouse is about a
hundred times bigger than it is the rest of the year, because the set designers
work so hard to fill every space with bright colours and lights, and design the
best methods of scene changes. A particular favourite of mine was a swirling
tunnel effect which was used in the performance, which was fairly effective at
drawing in the eyes of the audience!
In true pantomime style, the audience were given a few chances for
participation – at some points more enthusiastically than others. The
community song at the end was of course lovely at its purpose of asking
children which bits they enjoyed; as usual the most common answer being ‘all
of it’! And I can’t say I blame them, as I would also find it difficult to pick out
many favourite parts, as I enjoyed the whole production. Perhaps, though, I
would choose one of the dance routines – outside the wicked witch’s lair;
hugely entertaining and amusing.
As always, I can thoroughly recommend this pantomime to those who are
regulars to the Playhouse. I can also recommend it to any family –
pantomimes may be associated with entertainment for the children, but there
are certainly many parts within it which are highly relevant and funny to all age
groups. A fantastic pantomime again this year – well done!
Holly Morrall, Nottingham High School for Girls
The production was “Mother Goose”.
The director was Kenneth Alan Taylor. The venue was at Nottingham
Playhouse.
Mother Goose is very whimsical, pantomime. (Oh no it wasn’t; oh yes it was!)
The plot was as follows: Mother Goose (played by John Elkington), hits the
mark when her feathery companion Priscilla the goose (Nicole Webb) starts to
miraculously lay golden eggs. Anybody would have thought that it would be
certainly substantial enough, but when vanity takes over and Mother Goose
only feathers her own nest, certain horrible events start to unfold .
Will Mother Goose put her family before her Vanity?
The Theme was pantomime and it was brought out extremely well through the
acting, the scenery, dancing, costume and obviously the live music.
The set was imaginative and bold.
The set was also glittery and sparkly, great preparation for the festive season
ahead (Christmas!) .It really enhanced the play made everything more
realistic, and the hall of mirrors that was incorporated in the scenery was one
of the best features of the scenery. It was cleverly done and I have to give a
lot of credit to the designers and painters of the scenery.
The cast were fantastic, lively, humorous and just great to watch. The lines
were delivered with pure enthusiasm and the jokes were hilarious and current,
there were no tired clichés and the traditional lines of pantomime still were
there fortunately. The real comedic acts were: Evil Eric (Jonathan Race) and
Squire Squelch (Anthony Hoggard). That pair had me in stitches all night and
if you think their names are funny wait to see there combined performances. I
have to give credit to all the actors; their performances were brilliant and
convincing.
The director did a great job of making all the cast come together as one, a
commendable job.
I loved the music and the dancing; it made the stage more alive and enjoyable
to watch. I also liked the fact the cast members really interacted with the
audience - it was sheer joy to encounter the little children’s faces with a huge
smiles all around.
Overall a great play for all the family to enjoy and I would recommend anyone
who would like an entertaining night out, to go down and see it!!
Nicole Lawrence, Arnold Hill School
Well what can I say about this MAGICAL PANTO?
I actually couldn’t find a fault within the play, The whole play was simply
AMAZING. I enjoyed every moment.
All the dance routines was incredible, The singing, The acting, The set design,
Costumes.
I would recommend people go see this as it’s so amazing.
The set design was out of this world, every detail was just stunning.
Best PANTO EVER!!
Justine Sharp, Clarendon College
Nikki Charlesworth- George Spencer School