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Show: Scrooge and the Seven Dwarves
Society: Theatre503 (professional/fringe)
Venue: Theatre503, The Latchmere, 503 Battersea Park Road, London SW11 3BW
Credits: By John Woodburn, James Dunnell-Smith, Joshua George Smith. Music by Ben Hales. Produced by Theatre503 and Sleeping Trees.
Type: Sardines
Author: Chris Abbott
Performance Date: 28/11/2016
Scrooge and the Seven Dwarves
Chris Abbott | 29 Nov 2016 10:22am
This small-scale pantomime with big ambitions was presented by a cast of three who form Sleeping Trees, back for a second year at Theatre 503, above the Latchmere pub in Battersea, south London. Despite the small cast, we saw not just Scrooge and at least some of the seven dwarves (the Tolkien Lord of the Rings spelling chosen here rather than the more usual Dwarfs) but a whole host of other characters as well.
The company have sensibly not meddled too much with a winning formula, and once again the three performers find that the other 30 actors specified have not in fact been booked, and therefore they will have to play all the parts themselves. This they proceed to do with great skill, economy, energy and an all-encompassing silliness. This was my second pantomime in a row where London has been frozen and an important factor is missing: at Greenwich it was imagination and here it was Christmas spirit. Perhaps a reaction to the kind of world we seem to be living in now, or am I reading too much into pantomime plots?
Director Simon Evans and the three performers have decided on a mash-up of A Christmas Carol and Snow White, although Mary Poppins, the Wizard of Oz, Santa Claus and various other familiar characters also appear. The promised Giant Lobster didn’t seem to come from a story however, might just have made it in due to the availability of a suitable costume. The dinosaur, on the other hand, was a master-stroke and brought the first real moment of panto anarchy to the evening.
Musician Ben Hales gamely takes on the persona of audience member and various other characters, as well as glumly changing hats with each new locale and entering the action from time to time. His musical accompaniment enhanced the songs but the balance, at least on the press night, seemed to favour the voices over the instruments, which could hardly be heard. Despite this, many of the numbers were effective, especially the finale “Sing a Repetitive Song.” Designer Zahra Mansouri provided a witty and inventive though simply painted set and some deft costumes, and the ever-changing settings were enhanced throughout by the lighting from Jai Morjaria.
At the heart of the production, however, were the three actors. John Woodburn was a highly appropriate if youthful Scrooge though, among his many other roles, his low-tech Man in the Mirror was definitely an audience favourite. Putting in more effort than everyone else in the room, James Dunnel-Smith managed to come up with two elderly female characters in particular, Mrs Claus and the Wicked Witch, the latter a nicely manic portrayal combining evil and stupidity.
The third member of the performing trio, Joshua George Smith, varied the approach well by giving us a wide range of sympathetic and believable characters, from a forthright Snow White to a carefully-considered Bob Cratchit, operating at the same time a sneezing and coughing Tiny Tim puppet. All three performers were more than up to the task but when Joshua George Smith was on stage, the audience found it difficult to look at anyone else, and we definitely wanted to see his giant lobster.
Scrooge and the Seven Dwarves is a fun evening for audiences of all ages, and it is good to see a small scale panto in a pub which is inclusive and welcoming to such a wide range of audiences rather than aiming at adults only. Audience participation made its expected appearance though without overdoing it, and the audience song was another nod to panto tradition. See this show for an opportunity to enjoy skilled character acting, inventive writing and supreme silliness – but it would probably be best to have a drink or two first.
- : admin
- : 28/11/2016