character, the look, the stance, the quirky line delivery and the use of undulating eyebrows was quite mesmerising. The posse that surrounded him was made up of Jemma MarshallAyre, Shane Peel, Amanda Todd, Jemma Pattison, Jill Williams-Lees and Julie Chetwyn. Among the group were two performers making their pantomime debut. Andrew Greenwood has long been behind the scenes until this year when he made his first foray onto stage in the musical Jekyll and Hyde. Since then it would seem there is no stopping him and he has been bitten by the acting bug. I bet he never thought he would say, “I am off to a dance rehearsal”. However, the image of his Mr Period dressed only in a pair of gold boxer shorts, on a dog leash and being ridden by a fairy will stay with me forever, a sight that can never be unseen! Another debut acting performance was that of El Pomfret, who was the thigh slapping principal boy. Thank you for that. Like Andrew she has spent time in the wings but decided to join the excitement and donned the boots of our likely lad, Phil Mezbits. There was a strength to the character and presence on stage plus a good singing voice. In the writing and structure of the pantomime the writer had given thought on how to bring something different to the proceedings and so the traditional song sheet was turned into an interactive Blind Date sequence, with Melissa Mottershead as the Princess Wilma having to choose between two audience members. The two victims were brought on stage and asked personal questions from which she could decide. The dame was our Cilla, which added to the fun. The choreography by Sue Bradbury was sparkling and suited the chosen musical numbers, which were quite high energy. Most routines were led by dance captain Amanda Todd. Someone, really likes STEPS! The costumes, organised by Nicky Houghton and Jayne Webber
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