Panto twist adds to family fun

Felton and Thirston Pantomime Society’s (FATPS) 2017 interpretation of the usual panto story re-titled as Peter Pan, Well ... Sort Of took off and headed straight to Never-Never Land via a series of unexpected twists and turns that saw the Darling children whisked off by Peter Pan and the most unlikely Tinkerbell that anyone could have expected.

That was when the fun really got started – well after the usual boy meets girl, boy loses girl and then boy gets girl.

The Well … Sort Of was where the confusion of which boy would get which girl began. Would it be Peter Pan? Wendy? Tinkerbell? Or Tiger Lily? And what was the Coquet-dile?

Captain Hook and his diminutive side-kick, Aye Aye, plotted to ruin everything – but in true panto tradition they failed and order was restored with boy-got-girl wedding scene and a traditional Happy Ever After pantomime ending.

The introduction of the Panto Dame (Nanny Nora), ostensibly an audience member, served to add to the fun and mayhem.

The cast thoroughly enjoyed playing to sell-out audiences, who enthusiastically joined in the “behind you” banter and the songs.

Stunning acting from Sarah Walker (Peter Pan), Bob George (Tinkerbell) and Dave Price (Hook), however, the undoubted star of the show had to be eight-year old Bailey Fowler (Aye-Aye) as Hook’s Mini-Me.

Specific additional reference to all of the younger cast members, who assumed roles and responsibilities far in excess of their ages, too many of them to mention by name, were all brilliant.

The whole story was given full credence through wonderful sets, designs, props and costumes all of which made the action such fun for the audience and cast alike and that was the distinctive aspect of the panto – fun for all the family.

This year’s production was built on last year’s Wizard of Odd pantomime, which won two prestigious Awards at NODA’s (National Opera and Dramatic Association) Regional Awards Ceremony;.

The production took the Youth Award and Certificate for Abigail Inglis-Jones’ performance as Toto, the all-knowing dog about town.

And and the entire society won the Production Award and Certificate for an Excellent Overall Pantomime.

A stunning achievement for a village community pitted directly against companies from the region’s cities and large towns, who have far larger budgets and greater resources to draw upon.

Are there plans for next year? Oh, yes there are!

l Send your events and entertainment news and reviews to [email protected]