RUMPELSTILTSKIN (The Family Pantomime) Written by Steven Oliver-Grant Directed by Daniel Oliver-Grant Sparks Dramatic Society There is nothing like experiencing a theatre full of children booing a baddy to kick off the festive season at the beginning of December: it heralds a time of cheer and light. Many groups tend to choose the tried and tested pantomimes of Cinderella and Aladdin, all of which are great, but it is refreshing when a production of a lesser-known story is brought to the audience. Rumpelstiltskin is not that well known, and in all the years that I have been watching pantomimes, and that is quite a number of decades, I have only seen it done once before in my area. While talking to a member of the audience on the night we both remembered reading a Ladybird book of the same title while at primary school and that, in itself, brought a wave of nostalgia and maybe it is having the same effect on people reading this. The story of Rumpelstiltskin centres around a mysterious gnome-like man who spins straw into gold for the benefit of a beautiful young woman who desires to be a princess. She signs a contract with Rumpelstiltskin and agrees to give him her future first born child in exchange. The little man reappears to demand payment when the young woman, now queen, bears her first child. Adam Carter, as the title character, was excellent in his portrayal of grizzled Rumpelstiltskin. His posture and facial expressions gave all the immediate impression that he was the baddy and the one that everyone in the house was to boo. There was energy and menace to his character that he kept throughout the show, and when he transformed into a good character in Act 2 it meant we all forgave him. It transpired he was working for a monster whom he defeated in a great UV fight scene. The bad character tends to have a sidekick these days, and Daisy Ferris
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