Goldilocks and the Three Bears was ‘panto triumph’ for Highcliffe Charity Players at Christchurch Regent Centre
THIS year Highcliffe Charity Players presented Tom Whalley's version of the beloved tale, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, a feast of colour, laughs and lots of boos.
The panto followed the well-known story with an interesting twist. Laila Judge was the sweet Goldilocks with a lovely singing voice and Harry Young was Silly Billy, or should it be Clever Billy as he was most resourceful, encouraging the audience to laugh, shout, boo and hiss throughout.
Malcolm Young was great fun as Billy's mother, circus-owner Dame Gertie Dollop, with superb clothes, wigs and headdresses.
Georgie Carter was a realistic Mystic Sharon foretelling the future, until her crystal ball stopped working, and Chris Moore played the sympathetic Baron, Goldilocks' father.
Every panto has to have a villain and in this case there were two; Jade Morrell as the villainous Ringmaster Heinkel, owner of the Circus of Horrors who wants to take over Dame Gertie's circus, aided by her constantly-sneezing sidekick, Snot, admirably played by Paul Barrington carrying a huge handkerchief.
And, of course, there were the three friendly bears. Barry Gray was the authoritative Daddy Bear, Louise King the kindly Mummy Bear and Travis Bussell the clumsy Baby Bear who kept falling flat on his face all over the stage (quite a dangerous role, I would think) with a talented breakdancing routine.
Aside from the principals mentioned above, the cast included an adult 15-strong ensemble and 17 spirited youngsters who all performed with lots of excitement and smiles, including two adorable very young boys. Everyone sang and danced with skill, gusto and enthusiasm.
The pantomime was directed by Pete Whitaker who, supported by choreographer Shannon Cook and, of course, musical director Stuart Darling and his five-strong band, gave the sell-out audience a wonderfully fun evening. My only quibble was that at the beginning the band drowned out some of the singers but this soon appeared to be rectified.
Another HCP panto triumph – Don't miss next year's which will be in April due to programming rearrangements by the Regent Centre.
Alison Smith