Society’s show is pure gold
Brighouse Theartre Production's Mother Goose, at Brighouse Civic Hall. Pictured are Robert Davison, Sophie Tankard, Samantha Mean and Andrew Featherstone
Brighouse Theatre Productions “Mother Goose” was an entertaining and eggshellent show featuring the most endearing and ginormous stage goose I’ve ever seen.
The charmingly named Priscilla, expertly played by Pete Forsythe, was the star of the show and not only laid golden eggs but gold ingots as well. The audience simply adored her.
From a cold and snowy Brighouse, we were immediately transported to fairyland and confronted by a truly fearsome green horned devil, the Demon Discontent, Robert Davison.
This superb villain declared that he wanted to win the title “Panto Baddie of the Year” and he earned himself loud boos from the outset for his ill-tempered threats and curses. This was pantomime at its best and the audience could sit back and rest assured that the forces of good would outwit evil at the end, well before the community singsong.
We had some splendid individual performances and Paul Tankard played a horrid, money-grabbing Squire, bent on upping everybody’s rents. He was assisted by his two bonkers bailiffs, ably played by Andrew Featherstone and Samantha Mann.
The pair looked suspiciously like rural pirates with their three-cornered hats and soon had everyone in stitches as did the wonderful comic, John Murphy, who played the role of Billy, the Dame’s daft son. He stomped around the stage, encouraging the audience to misbehave by shouting raucously and he thoroughly enjoyed himself hurling toffees at excited children.
Andrew Mann was a brilliant Mother Goose, with alluring, improbably long eyelashes. The Dame’s almost fatal flaw was a vain desire to use her golden riches to become young and beautiful, a feat which became a reality in the stunning “magical pool” scene.
The set was lovely and enchanting with its green ferns and water fountains, graced by the talented, well-tutored troupe of expert young dancers and singers from the PM Gibson School of Theatre Dance. Their balletic, well-choreographed movements were performed with professional precision.
The stunning costumes and sets were a visual treat, especially in the glittering finale, when our principal boy, Colin, well played by Holly Robson married her Jill, Emma Newsome and the Dame triumphed in her seduction of the now not so money-grabbing Squire. To top it all, Priscilla, the Goose, was awarded an OBE - Order of the Boiled Egg! A magnificent evening of fun.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Halifax
Wednesday 22 May 2013
Today
Light showers
Temperature: 4 C to 13 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Light showers
Temperature: 6 C to 10 C
Wind Speed: 25 mph
Wind direction: North west
