Written by Paul Reakes, by arrangement with Samuel French Ltd.
Directed by Ron Whitcher
Well, it was different, and the children loved it.
Medstead Players Christmas presentation was undoubtedly expensive to stage and, fortunately, it played to full houses for four shows, but the only resemblance to pantomime was the inclusion of a villain, a principal boy and a dame.
The trick lighting and the scenic effects in Santa in Space were excellent, and a video of the heavenly bodies drifting across the screen as the audience arrived was a good way of creating the atmosphere of adventure in the outer regions.
The curtain rose on this panto by Paul Reakes, as John Gregory, as villainous a villain as was ever hissed off the stage, declared his hatred of small children and his intention to abduct Santa Claus. The audience properly responded with boos and catcalls. His accomplice was Pam Kercher, looking much too charming to have such a nasty nature, but these two set the scene for mayhem and treachery.
Phil Diment and Dianne Nicholls provided the comic relief - the brokers men of outer space. They made a point of talking to the children, and their impromptu comments on some of the replies, kept the audience laughing.
Stan Whitcher was Dame Dangle and he worked very hard with a script that had few funny lines. Stan is a great comic, and he tried hard to get the children to join in, but the "Oh yes you did!" pattern of comedy loses its spontaneity after it has been introduced on at least six occasions.
The trick lighting throughout was cleverly controlled and little Roberta (Nicky Holdaway) the robot, made good use of electric gadgetry. The dramatic moment when the back of the stage opened to reveal the wicked villain and his two assistants, was an original twist of stage craft.
I felt that Mike Overy lacked the corpulent dignity and the hearty voice of Santa Claus - a few "ho, ho, hoes" would have been more in keeping with the character.
Martin Kercher was a delight as Tommy Tucker, cheeky and full of fun, and he did well in his first stage part.
Jane Foames made an impressive principal boy, clearly spoken and strutting around the stage to win the heart of the very reserved Sara Moody as Crystal.
The transformation of the magic box into the full sized spacecraft that housed the whole company for their adventure in space, was very cleverly conceived and organised, and was rewarded with gasps of surprise from the audience.
Claudia Foames gave a brief ballet display and her brother, Lee, had a minor role as the non-speaking rear end of a two-headed monster. Matthew Parratt's talents were wasted as the heavily shrouded front end, but he made an attractive appearance as Prince Paragon.
The pantomime lasted nearly three hours, which was too long for youngsters, and a few good songs would have helped fill some of the gaps. There were many references to local features, but there was a scarcity of jokes, and the biggest laugh came from the crack about the sleeping members of the Medstead Parish Council.
The production of a modern pantomime demands a great many willing helpers, both on and off the stage, and it must have been most rewarding to have filled the hall for four performances. The number of last-minute changes on the programme, due to seasonal sickness and so forth, was a problem for the director Ron Whitcher, but he and his team coped with the problems excellently.
N.C.
Cast:
Vileun the Vile, evil Usurper of the Universe - John Gregory
Astra, the Astrologer - Pam Kercher
Null, Vileun's Astro-nut - Phil Diment
Void, Vileun's Astro-nut - Dianne Nicholls
Little Tommy Tucker - Martin Kercher
Dame Dangle - Stan Whitcher
Roberta, the Robot - Nicki Holdaway
Professor Atnas, really Santa Claus - Mike Overy
Captain Dick Darling - Jane Foames
Crystal, a visitor from the North Pole - Sara Moody
Dancing Doll - Claudia Foames
Leader of the Varborites - Tony Newmann
Monster of the Wilderlands - Matthew Parratt / Lee Foames
Prince Paragon - Matthew Parratt
