By Sam Allen
Is it possible to take a traditional dyed-in-the-wool entertainment style such as pantomime, subvert it, put it in a contemporaneous setting, leave out most of the pantomime rules and traditions, and still come up with a dazzling spectacle that all the family will absolutely love? Well, I am here to tell you that the answer is: Yes!
Because that is exactly what the folk at Strode Theatre in Street did with this year’s pantomime about the boy who wouldn’t grow up, Peter Pan. This was essentially a youth production with the only more mature character supposedly overseeing things being Nanny McSnee, older but definitely not wiser! What a great display of talent it was! There wasn't a weak link in this highly talented young drama society.
And the talent on stage was matched by the admirable backstage teams. The fixed set started as an inner-city ghetto and became the Darling’s living room, Neverland, and Captain Hook’s ship with a few slick set changes and imaginative projections. And, with some very imaginative lighting we were whisked away to fantasy lands in the blink of an eye.
Now, I’m guessing that some pantomime traditionalists will complain about the absence of some old favourite pantomime themes: the ‘behind you’ skit, the slapstick, the house number and so on. They may bemoan the flaunting of some of the old panto ‘rules’ (the baddie always comes on stage left etc). But did that lessen the absolute joy of the youngsters around me in the packed theatre on Friday afternoon? Not in the slightest! They were totally engrossed in the action, singing along and laughing, joining in on the audience interaction, and putting on the friendship bracelets handed out by the cast.
I was so impressed by the dedication of this wonderful troupe of players, working right over the Christmas period so that the good folk of Street could enjoy this splendid festive treat. Oh, and one other question had to be answered. Did Peter Pan actually fly? The answer to that is also: Yes!
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