Village Players

REPORT ON THE PIED PIPER, PERFORMED BY STICKER VILLAGE

PLAYERS AND SEEN BY MARGARET CORTIS AND CORAL PEPPER ON

SATURDAY, 28th FEBRUARY 2009

THE SHOW.

This was a well-written script, a variation of the Old Pied Piper of

Hamlin with all the elements expected of a Pantomime, romance, evil and plenty of

humour. Performed by this village group, it was an ideal choice for their members

and was very-much enjoyed by the large audience — traditional Pantomime at its very

best.

STAGE PRESENTATION

Everyone on the Production Team, should congratulate themselves on a job well

done. This was a simple box set with very well-painted back cloths and side flats.

Arched entrances to front of the stage were well-masked with black drapes. The

opening scene depicted the Market Place colourful shop fronts and houses,

complete with washing lines and overflowing dustbinsl. Inside the Town Hall was

an interesting set painted with a list of former Mayors, good windows with curtains

and trophies. The Clearing in the woods was well-painted with toadstools, flowers

and magnificent trees. We liked "Klopsberg Hill" with pastureland which had good

perspective. All scenery changes were carried out quickly and quietly.

PROPERTIES.

Minimum props. were used but all were suitable for purpose. The

wine—rack, lovely basket of flowers, "Deal or no Deal" boxes and the maps were all

just right and the engagement ring was magnificent. All props. were handled

confidently and we particularly liked the magic flute which was extremely

realistically handled.

LIGHTING.

We had a good wash of colour for all the village scenes with excellent

special coloured effects which added to the drama of the evil Pied Piper . The

lighting effect for the ‘freeze’ scene was particularly good. There was also good use

of the spot and the disco lights added to the fun.

SOUND.

All sound-effects were on cue and we loved the chatter on the telephones

and the sound of the rats following the Pied Piper. The dropping of the stones down

the well was beautifully executed. We believe that most of these sound—ef`fects were

carried out by the Musical Director on his Keyboard and he is to be congratulated for

his timing, particularly the sound of the Pied Piper’s magical flute.

COSTUMES.

Without exception, this was a very well—dressed production: colourful,

well—fitting and appropriate for movement and characterisation. We loved the

assortment of Chorus outfits, all colourful and with jolly striped stockings. The

principals were all well—costumed and we particularly liked Greta’s lovely dress, the

Mayoral robes and hat, the colourful striped outfits for Hans and Nees and Ralph’s

distinctive grey outfit, again, with a terrific hat with plumes. Heidi, the Dame, had a

magnificent selection of outfits from the colourful opening number and fabulous

boots, the sparkling mini-skirt and striped bra topped-off with the voluminous blouse

to the stunning yellow ensemble for the finale, All outfits completely right for this

over-the-top Dame. The Pied Piper outfit was a triumph of colour and such a

contrast to the rest of the cast and the addition of the wicked red hair and sinister

sideburns and beard were inspired. The finale was delightful with everyone looking

their Panto. best. Well-done costume ladies.

MAKE—UP.

Traditional Panto-make-up with, perhaps, Greta being a little over—done

for a youngster. We loved Heidi’s red hearts on her cheeks and colourful eyelashes.

All other characters were very suitably made—up, particularly the Pied Piper.

MUSICAL DIRECTION

The music was provided by a Keyboard which provided an excellent accompaniment

for the singers and was never overpowering or too loud and kept-up the tempo

extremely well. There was a lovely selection of numbers with a lovely opening

number which set our feet tapping. The duet "I only want to be with you" was very

well sung and it was lovely to hear a bit of harmony. "Having a clean—up" worked

well as did "Hit the Road Rat" which was superb. "Rocking Tonight" with the disco

lights was a good ending for the first act. The second act opening with "What a

beautiful day" was an excellent choice and "Following the Piper" was very

atmospheric. Greta sang "What a Wonderful World" beautifully. The Pied Piper

sang his numbers extremely well with just the right amount of menace and

"Klopsberg Hill" was very comical. We loved the Community Song which was

very well done by Hans and Knees and "Something Good" was a great finale song

and sent us home with a smile on our faces.

DANCE DIRECTION

With the limited space available, we felt that all the dance numbers used every inch of

the stage giving us a selection of simple but extremely well thought-out routines.

Everyone knew what they were doing and were confident in their movements.

Perhaps a few more SMILES from the youngsters would have added to the overall

look.

DIRECTION

Congratulations to the Director for taking a leading role without allowing the

direction to suffer. From the outset, the pace was good and everyone knew their

lines and were confident with their character thus allowing the audience to relax and

enjoy the show. The chorus work was excellent blending the Principals, Citizens

and Children together and we were impressed by the reactions of everyone on stage to

what was going on around them. Entrances and exits were all purposeful with

everyone acting themselves both on and off stage and the exit of the children,

following the Pied Piper through the audience, worked very well. There were only a

few occasions when the pace dropped but it was swiftly picked up. We loved the

rapport with the audience, not only from Dame Heidi but also Hans and Nees and the

gentle comedy from the latter came over very well. The reading of the letter (an

oldie but a goody!) worked very well and we loved Dame Heidi’s impromptu remarks

as she distributed the sweeties in the audience. ("Don’t get me started on Health

and Safety" certainly rang true to the Adjudicators!) With only a small stage to deal

with, we felt that you managed to place your company extremely well and there was

very little masking. We liked the ‘rat decoration’ throughout the hall which was fun

and what can we say about the "Hit the Road" number, the rat must have been

exhausted!

INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES.

We felt that this was truly a team effort with everyone being completely involved in

the action for the whole time they were on stage.

GRETA. A delightful performance from this youngster who acted confidently and

sang beautifully. We thoroughly believed in her love for Ralf and her fear of The

Pied Piper. She look lovely in her costumes and gave us a performance well beyond

her years. Well done.

HERTZ van RENTAL. A commanding figure in his magnificent Mayoral Robes

who seemed to gain in confidence as the show progressed. We liked his

characterisation of a rather weak and devious person and would have liked to see

some development of his relationship with Heidi, which could have been fun.

HEIDI. What a Dame! From the moment she arrived on stage we were enthralled

with her fantastic performance. Superb timing and a wonderful rapport with the cast

and audience alike. Looked amazing in her stunning outfits but remained a ‘bloke’

throughout which is the hallmark of a Pantomime Dame. Loved the struggle with l0

gilder note which disappeared down her blouse.

HANS AND NEES. These two cannot be separated because they were a real team

and really won the hearts of the audience. We enjoyed all their scenes, particularly

the ‘wooing’ and the reading of the letter, also, what a feat, to get the whole of the

audience (including the adjudicators!) on their feet for the community song. They

really got every ounce of comedy out of the script but in a gentle way, which was

charming.

RALF. A confident principal boy of the ‘thigh-slapping’ variety which worked well

in this Panto. We loved her relationship with Greta and their duet was one of the

musical highlights. Nice scene in the Town Hall with the Mayor, showing a good

reaction to the dishonest handling of the Pied Piper.

HILDEGARD and MAPMAKER. How fortunate you are to have someone who can

go from Chorus to Principal with such ease. Lovely reactions as a citizen,

particularly in the ‘wooing’ scene and then a solid performance as the Matchmaker

which a good talent for comedy which came over well.

BRUNEHILDE. Here again, you have a talented actor, comfortable in the chorus

but able to move over to a principal role, when required. Her ‘sourpuss’ was a good

contrast to Hildegard.

PIED PIPER. This was a tour de force performance from this actor who has

tremendous stage presence. We loved his change of character from the amiable to

the really evil and menacing. He looked every inch the villain in his super outfit and

make-up and was very believable when playing the frightening tunes on his flute. A

first-class performance from this versatile young man.

CHORUS OF CITIZENS AND CHILDREN.

Very much an integral part of this production who supported the Principals throughout.

Lots of reaction to what was going on around them and some very good singing and dancing.

We loved their ad-libbing whilst they were on stage which, we felt, other companies would do

well to strive for.

CONCLUSION

Thank you Sticker for a cracking evening. This was a traditional pantomime of the

highest calibre. You worked well within your comfort zone and there were no

hitches, long pauses, poor business or over-clever props. We are sure that your

audiences were as delighted as we were. All the best for your next production and

we look forward to seeing you again.