* Apologies for the time it has taken to produce this review, I have been fully occupied with auditions for my own production, but can now breathe once more. *
Sun is shinin’ in the sky,
there ain’t a cloud in sight.
It’s stopped rainin’, everybody’s in the play
and don’t you know
it’s a beautiful new day. Hey.
Always nervy, reviewing a production from a society that you are a member of and have performed alongside in the past. What I can say is that I pride myself on honesty and will always give it fully. But what better way to kick off a production than with the music of Jeff Lynne and the Electric Light Orchestra with Mr Blue Sky. One of the most feelgood songs of all time and guaranteed to get the audience onside. Full of energy, good voice, and dance, and this was maintained throughout The Snow Queen from The Arcadians Musical Theatre Company.
Playing The Snow Queen was a new member to The Arcadians in Courtney Jones who gave a 10/10 performance, strong in every area. As Dame Fanny Annie, we had Samuel Hickman who took on the role with tremendous relish while Rebecca Eastwood (Gerda), Heather Baldwin (Kai) and Becca Cummings (Helmut) excelled in strong fashion as the offspring of Fanny. Supporting well, though were Eleanor Hewer (Snowdrop), Katy Orr (Blossom), Derek Hartley (Hans Christian Anderson), Becky Murray (Henrik), Rob Pushkin (Ziggy), Lisa Harrup (Sunbeam), and Rebi Nagy (Fredrika) among a quality ensemble. I do have to say, though, my favourite characters were Rufus, a seemingly depressed reindeer (Gemma Lee) and Caw the Raven (Annabel Robertshaw) whose repeated use of the word caw persisted throughout. Some were cheesy, of course, but there were some corkers there as well.
In the musical numbers, as well as Blue Sky, I enjoyed Thunderstruck, I Put a Spell on You, Killer Queen (Got to love a bit of Queen), Reach, Good Vibrations, Money, Money, Money, True Colours, Come Alive and From Now On. I am, though, never a fan of Aquarius and Let the Sunshine In, no matter how well Arcadians performed them, which they did, and Seasons of Love will always run the risk of inducing projectile vomiting from me, but I guess you can’t love all the number in a show, and everyone else enjoyed them.
On the downside, I did feel the narratives broke the flow and flattened proceedings at times. I’m not a fan of narratives, particularly in panto. The songs and script need to do that and move things along seamlessly. And that was another niggle for me, the poor script by Alan P Frayn. One dimensional with few subplots. Kai is kidnapped by the Snow Queen and his family set out to rescue him, and that’s it. Clunky dialogue which was not funny in most parts. In fact, the biggest laugh I had was during Dance of the Snow Geese where the ballet goes wrong. Not sure if this was in the original script, but it was done well. I also thought some of the musical numbers were cut short, which again, like the narration, led to a drop in energy.
The Snow Queen was a valiant effort, though, and the (huge) production team of Eleanor Rose (Creative Director), Rebeka Nagy (Production Director), Eleanor Hewer (Musical Director/Choreographer), Nikki Genner (Production Manager) and Derek Hartley (Production Assistant) can be well pleased along with further choreography from Emily Murtough, Rae Heathcote, Rebecca Eastwood, Samuel Hickman and Sophia Robertshaw.
Overall, a good first foray into the world of pantomime from Arcadians and I would like to dedicate this review to the Co-President of the society, Stella Rourke, who sadly passed away recently. At the heart of Arcadians, she made me and my family welcome when we first joined and will be terribly missed by all.
Cheers.
Antony N Britt
*Photos taken from social media.
Antony N Britt - Author 