Written by John Gardiner & Fiz Coleman, by arrangement with Samuel French Ltd.
Directed by Pam Kercher
Grot, guzzling and horrible habits in Medstead triumph
Horrible Harold certainly lived up to his name and reputation as a real handful, in the Medstead Players Christmas production on Friday night. The Guinness guzzling baby with a fog-horn voice and disgusting habits was only revealed in the final scene. Up until then he had remained in his reinforced pram - which miraculously held together - with his hairy legs and Dr Marten boots hanging over the edge.
When Harold, alias comic Paul Cox, finally lept into full view to one of the biggest laughs of the evening, any "horrible" preconceptions of his appearance were immediately surpassed. Standing at six foot plus, with missing teeth and wearing a nappy, boots string vest and bobble hat, it was a sight never before encountered - and hopefully never again!
"The Snatching of Horrible Harold", well directed by Pam Kercher, is a play written for children and it proved a huge success with the large number of youngsters at Medstead Village Hall. It had many elements of pantomime and offered plenty of opportunities for audience participation, young and old.
The story is set in Brick Street where a mysterious new shop, Slickerbotham's Dry Cleaning Emporium, has opened. Already Harold's dad, Archie, has disappeared leaving Edith - confidently played by Rachel Smith - to bring up her young son on her own. However Edith has help from her good friends Denis and Charlie the dustmen, and Granny Grot. Together they triumph over the evil Mr Slickerbotham after he and his two assistants snatch Harold.
Stan Whitcher - who is usually found playing the dame - revelled in his role as Denis. His character was reminiscent of salt-of-the-earth Eastender Arthur Fowler, and Stan enjoyed a rapport with the audience which included entertaining ad-libbing with the hecklers. A past master of productions his accomplished performance was what one expected.
However the less experienced Sue Ovell also looked more than comfortable as Granny Grot. The confident portrayal of her character - rather like a Mrs Bucket (pronounced Bouquet) with a personality reversal - was highly commendable. Tony Grimmer, in his very first role on the Medstead stage, David Rae and the two juniors Lucy Western and Gareth Bennell all gave polished performances. There were plenty of visual gags, particularly with Harold's eating habits, and even special effects with Slickerbotham's hi-tech cleansing machine.
The set itself looked rather inviting and a ramp led from the stage down through the middle of the audience. With characters coming in and out from the back of the hall, a children's finger-nail inspection, a sing-along-a-lullaby, and the occasional shower from Harold's water pistol the crowd - and particularly the children - were truly made to feel a part of the Medstead Players' latest triumph.
Medstead Players let loose the grot and baby Harold's horrible habits
A feast of acting talent, spectacular sets and a bizarre plot was let loose by the Medstead Players on Bordon's Phoenix Centre last week.
While not strictly a pantomime, "The Snatching of Horrible Harold" was a tale of mad professors, heroic dustmen and a baby with vile habits.
Despite the setback of having two cast members absent due to illness, the group pulled together well to deliver a fine show with plenty of audience participation during last Saturday night's performance.
The very strange plot follows the characters of Brick Street, one of whom is a Guinness guzzling, cigarette smoking youngster, Harold (Paul Cox), whose father has disappeared under mysterious circumstances.
While his poor mother, Edith (Rachel Smith), struggles to bring her monstrous but loveable son up on her own, the owner of the nearby dry cleaners. Mr Slickerbotham (Tony Grimmer) is masterminding a dastardly plot for world domination.
Working with two android henchmen, Fred (Daniel Cox) and Clarissa (Lucy Western) the evil man aims to clean up dirty children once and for all with the help of his newly invented "process machine".
And as Harold seems the ideal target to begin the evil plans, Slickerbotham kidnaps the youngster and takes him to his secret laboratory to be cleaned-up forever.
Realising what has happened Edith, backed-up with her friends Granny Grot (Sue Ovell) and dustman Denis (Stan Whitcher), set out on a mission to save the boy which ends in an amusing and unexpected conclusion.
It was obvious that the Medstead Players had put a great deal of time and effort into producing an excellent production that was both fun to watch as well as well as having great pace and energy.
While the play was aimed mainly at children, there was plenty for adults as well, with some hilarious dialogue in places.
The action on stage - which had clearly been well directed by Pam Kercher and had some outstanding sets - was complemented by an efficient back-up and lighting crew which gave the performance a very slick quality.
Performances were also strong with lead characters Sue Ovell (Granny Grot) Stan Whitcher (Dustman Denis) Lucy Western (Clarissa the robot), Rachel Smith (Edith) and Paul Cox (Horrible Harold) showing obvious talent.
Special recognition should also be made to two actors who bravely jumped into new roles at short notice to replace two absent colleagues.
Clad in white coat and tinted glasses, Tony Grimmer performed well in conveying the menacing demeanour of Slickerbotham while Daniel Cox put up a stirring display as the robotic Fred.
"The Snatching of Horrible Harold" was a fine effort from an excellent theatre company who are certainly worth following with any future performances. Visiting the drycleaners will never seem the same again.
The action takes place in Brick Street, and at Mr Slickerbotham's pre-processing laboratory
Cast:
Denis, a dustman - Stan Whitcher
Charlie, a dustman - Tony Grimmer
Edith, Harold's Mother - Rachel Smith
Mrs Thompson, a neighbour - Ann Bassil
Horrible Harold, Edith's monstrous offspring - Paul Cox
Granny Grot, Owner of the Grot Shop - Sue Ovell
Mr Slickerbotham, Owner of the dry cleaning emporium - David Rae
Fred, Slickerbotham's Assistant - Gareth Bennell
Clarissa, Slickerbotham's Assistant - Lucy Western
Megagerm, a formless amoebic germ creature - Ann Bassil
Archie, Harold's Father - Mike Overy
Lucy Western, Ann Bassil, Tony Grimmer, Sue Ovell, Paul Cox, Rachel Smith, Stan Whitcher, Mike Overy, David Rae, Gareth Bennell