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Alice in Wonderland
Somerton Dramatic Society
‘Sit up straight and listen to this’. Those were our orders given by the nasty Queen of Spades at this year’s Somerton Dramatic Society’s Alice in Wonderland.
The script written for the group by Francis Cawley and Steve Garrett was a sound interpretation. Full use was made of the available space, utilising all entrances, exits and rear of the hall.
This was a lovely colourful pantomime including some sound principals and delightful children who were a joy to watch.
Our narrators – George and Betty – were a great pair of muppet puppets and introduced each scene. This was a clever idea and I enjoyed their banter. I may have enjoyed it even more had I not seen the puppeteers as this somewhat spoilt the illusion. Gauze in the booth (similar to that of a Punch and Judy professor) may have been an option. Here the performer/s can see us but we cannot see them. Having said this, Henry and Helen certainly worked hard on their roles.
The sets were to a very high standard. I loved the idea of having a slide to enter the rabbits burrow creating the illusion that you were well and truly below ground level. This was a great comical entrance. I also enjoyed the growth of the rose garden in the UV scene. (Some societies are omitting UV now which is a shame. This keeps pantomime traditional and often carries many points within the marking guide of the Somerset Fellowship of Drama).
As a member of the Magic Circle I am always on the look- out for a magical moment in a pantomime and at last I have finally found one! I think I may have worked out the card tricks but I most certainly enjoyed the shrinking of Alice and Widow Watt. This was very cleverly thought through and I am certain that all the children in the audience would have been baffled by seeing these characters reduced in size – a super illusion and a great magical moment.
Acting and singing was to a good standard although this production lacked some comedy and slap-stick moments. I enjoyed the antics of Dame Widow Watt (Toby Weech) but sadly she had no one to bounce off which left those well delivered gags somewhat flat and unnoticed. The ‘pair of Jacks’ (Luke Davies and Sophie Hunt-Davison) provided good delivery but those one-liners were rather corny. Although gelling nicely they never really came across as a comedy duo (script issue).
I enjoyed ‘play your cards right’. I have seen this applied three times now. Whilst I appreciate the connection with cards, this game does intend to slow the performance right down. I would suggest sticking to a ‘good old audience number’ that we all recognise and would sing along too. Always keep the pace up in panto!
There were many triumphant moments in this pantomime. Alice (Becky Skinner) had a very sweet characterisation and projected her words confidently. Working well alongside Ace, your duo ‘These are the best days of our lives’ certainly came up trumps!
The banter of the Queen of Spades provided a comical yet sinister role which we all engaged with. Congratulations also to Dave Reynolds on his hair-raising role. He certainly is as mad as a March hare.
It was a pleasure to see so many children on such a small stage. They engaged with us immediately with their nice smiles and total confidence.
Make-up, costumes and props were to a very high standard and your strong, creative production team proves you are a dedicated society.
This was undoubtedly a very good show that had the aaaahh factor. I enjoyed every moment. This was an easy to follow story line that younger members would have endured.
I take my ‘top’ hat off to you with appreciation. I lay my cards on the table and say that this was a lovely interpretation of a magical story.
Thank you for a spellbinding evening.
Nigel Ford
Moderator