| RIVIERA CENTRE PAVED WITH COMEDY GOLD |
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A "political" Paignton pantomime has kicked off - in Torquay.
The long-standing Paignton Pantomime Productions, who are usually based at the Palace Theatre, have made the move to the Riviera International Centre amid a £900,000 revamp of their own home.
And the opening night of the group's Dick Whittington show was given a huge thumbs up from the public (oh yes it was!), despite the cast having less on-stage rehearsal time.
There were a few hiccups in the production: Tommy the Cat (Jonathan Finnis) was completely inaudible on a couple of occasions, as was the chorus and a few of Fairy Bowbells' (Genna Harper) lines.
But I suspect that was more to do with the fine tuning of the sound system rather than the actors' abilities to perform.
And the audience seemed to be so caught up in the glitz, glamour and happy ever after of the show, the blemishes went unnoticed.
The legend of Dick Whittington and his cat has captivated audiences for centuries. Many people are familiar with its rags-to-riches tale, which sees Dick, a poor boy from Gloucester, making his way to London to seek his fortune, with a little help from his feline friend.
The story may be fantastic, but Dick's thigh-slapping panto antics were based - albeit very loosely - on the real life success of a mediaeval man, Richard Whittington.
Perhaps the story today reflects the long-held belief that the streets to London are paved with gold.
Paignton's panto adaptation of the tale was littered with references to local places, people, and issues, such as Torbay's controversial toilet closures, and the borough's mayor, Nick Bye, who also serves as PPP's president.
At times, I thought comedy comments and puns were a little too below the belt for a children's panto, but may be that is just me being prudish as the audience responded with shrieks of laughter.
The other highlights which raised raucous laughter were "Madonna bosoms" which squirt liquid all over the audience - one man drank from one.
Heading the cast, Dean Breyley, as Dick Whittington, bounces through the course of the show with great enthusiasm and is a huge hit with the children, as is Alice (Stephanie Clift), Idle Jack (Jonathan Hunt) and King Rat (Alex MacDonald) who relishes the chance of getting the boos and the hisses.
The choreography is fun and lively, staged by Elaine Johnson and Amanda Read.
And there is also an hilarious cameo appearance by Fido The Singing Cabbage.
Coupled with an enthusiastic audience keen on participation, what could go wrong? Apart from not being able to hear some of the cast...
The show runs from until January 1 and tickets are available at The Riviera International Centre box office 01803 206333. |
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