Reviews

Swanage Drama Company    The Mowlem Theatre, Swanage Caroline Burr   14 January 2023 This pantomime is a fresh look at two famous stories – Babes In The Wood and Robin Hood. Despite a published version by Alan P Frayn being available Swanage Drama Company have made this their own, in a version written by Pat Jones and Brian Travers (who also directed). Pantomimes are always great family fun and the near capacity audience at the Saturday matinee clearly enjoyed themselves. There were lots of opportunities for audience participation with the parents and grandparents joining in as enthusiastically as the children!

All Saints Dramatic Society    Corpus Christi Parish Centre, Boscombe  Rachel Leggett   7 January 2023 Dick Whittington tells the story of a poor young man who travels to London to seek his fortune with his trusty cat Tom. Along the way he runs into some trouble when he is accused of stealing from the Alderman. In order to win the hand of the Alderman’s daughter, sweet Alice, he must somehow prove his innocence. Will he succeed or will Queen Rat and her Rattlings ruin everything? I had never seen a pantomime by this company before so I was keen to

New Forest Players    Ballard School, New Milton Philip & Julie McStraw   30 December 2022   There can be no better way to top off the seasonal festivities than with a family outing to the local panto! This year’s ‘Twixmas’ treat from the New Forest Players is the enduringly popular folk tale of Cinderella, which in English language form dates back to at least the 17th century, following the publication of the definitive version of the story (in French) by Charles Perault. Since that time Cinderella has become the most performed Christmas pantomime as well as being the subject of

Bournemouth Little Theatre     Bournemouth Little Theatre, Winton, Bournemouth Renée Claude       14 December 2022   Today’s tale takes place in a quaint little theatre, aptly named, and begins with Lee Tilson playing Ebeneezer Scrooge. Beginning with Scrooge wincing at the mere thought of charity and giving, Tilson’s mannerisms and comedic timing shine through. He so rarely leaves the stage throughout the performance and has clearly spent a lot of time mastering his character (even when in the background asleep!). William Lent plays Bob Cratchit with hilarious reactions and facial expressions. Although some scene changes could be more fluid,

Arts University Bournemouth (AUB)     Studio Theatre, AUB Campus, Poole JJ     8 December 2022 I had never heard of this play and I had never had the pleasure of seeing an AUB Production before. So, as I left on a freezing cold December evening, I feared I might be heading to see some weird impenetrable modern piece of theatre. How wrong I was. The Belle’s Stratagem is a romantic comedy of manners. It is the most successful work of its playwright, Hannah, and premiered on 22 February 1780, filling the 2,000-seat Drury Lane theatre. It is the tale of

Studio Theatre     Studio Theatre, Salisbury Lloyd Perry     6 December 2022 This was my first time in reviewing the award winning Studio Theatre based in their purpose built theatre in Salisbury. There is no better way to kick start the Christmas festivities than with a pantomime, and this was the offering from Studio, self-penned by the director Ian Flindell. The story does not need too much explaining and is based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic book. The story starts in the Admiral Bimbo Inn on the North Somerset coast and, over 14 scenes, takes the audience on a journey