Silchester Players

'Dick Whittington', currently playing at Silchester Village Hall and presented by the enterprising Silchester Players is a good traditional style panto full of gags and splendid humour.

Much of its success lies in the fact that telented people can let their hair down when they get on the stage and one who does, in her uproarious acts, is Janet Taylor as Sarah — a real dame.

There is no stopping her for her energy is boundless and her swift repartee so convincing.  But to be successful she receives tremendous support from the company.  As a comparison with her rumbustious acting there is a very cool but none the less affective Marilyn Clarke as Dick Whittington accompanied by her faithful cat 'Mouser' with Bryony Paton a very agile and responsive moggy.

Praise also for the make-up artist Judith Ifould for the work she does on King Neptune played by Brian Hope.  I also admired the simple but very effective way in which a 'sea' is provided by means of sparkling coloured streamers strung along the front of the stage.

That and the ultra violet lighting for the dancing scene after the interval illustrates what a difference a good back up team can make for performers.

Janet Taylor has Idle Jack as a foil during the audience participation number, the part being played by Keith Fenner.  Keith Graham makes for a horrible King Rat and there is some confident acting by 14-year-old Paul Jones as the mate.

Janet Hope as Fairy Sugar Plum is always at hand to safeguard Dick whose quest is the attractive Alice Fitzwarren portrayed by Sophie West.  John Davies does his best to be the cad of the show as Alderman Fitzwarren.  For the Moroccan scene Nigel Clarke has all the physique to be a powerful character as the Sultan.  Len Drinkall is the captain with ribbons.

The Junior chorus has its moments with the 'Teddy Bear's Picnic' and I found the hornpipe performed by two attractive girls from the senior chorus, Sarah Oliver and Rachel Fairbrother, refreshing.

The well dressed chorus are well drilled and sing well.  What I like when watching the amateur shows in the villages is the realisation of what enjoyment the cast derives from such experiences.  By their reactions, those in the present show at Silchester enjoy themselves.

This is excellent, for pleasure derived on the stage is communicated to those in the audience.

'Dick Whittington' has been written by Verne Morgan and jointly produced by Pam Mansfield and Tim Oliver with Stephen Oliver the musical director.  Janet Hope and Glenise Masters are responsible for the choreography.

Pantomime at this time of year is traditional, and Dick Whittington presented by the Silchester Players, contained all the elements of that tradition.  The large cast set out to enjoy themselves and infected the audience with their joie de vivre.

Dick Whittington (Marilyn Clarke) and Alice Fitzwarren (Sophie West) made an attrctive principal boy and girl, delivering their dialogue with sympathy and sincerity.  Bryony Paton as the cat also became a favourite with the audience.  With her fluidity of movement she managed very nicely to combine the feline grace of the cat with human emotions she had to convey.  Janet Taylor as Sarah the cook gave a very sterling performance as the 'dame' of the piece.  She had a definite rapport with those in stage, and watching, and a knack of getting the audience to do what she wanted — whether we wanted or not.  Young Paul Jones as the Captain's mate made the most of the comedy in his part, and Keith Graham as King Rat was effectively evil in dealing with Dick Whittington initially, but was easily dealt with by Janet Hope as Fairy Sugar Plum.

The chorus looked charming in their costumes, which were nicely thought out to match the period of the piece.  The scenery was complementary to the action and the lighting was fairly effective.  The ultra-violet dance was most enjoyable, but should not have been backlit.  The combination of live music (under the direction of Stephen Oliver) and recorded music was well handled, but more music is essential to the flow of a pantomime.  Some reprises of the songs played between scene changes would have greatly helped in the continuity of the action.

I had the feeling the cast were hampered somewhat by a dull script.  The story of Dick Whittington seeks some action anyway — but what little there is, was missed, or ignored by author Verne Morgan in the search for clever comic dialogue.

Nevertheless, this was a most enjoyable evening's entertainment which was produced and directed by Pam Mansfield and Tim Oliver, and will be repeated by the Silchester Players this Friday and Saturday at Silchester Village Hall.

Opening tonight as the first of a four-night presentation is 'Dick Whittington' at Silchester Village Hall.

It is the 'home' side — Silchester Players — who are staging the pantomime and performances tonight and tomorrow begin at 7.30 pm.

The panto is also being repeated next Friday and Saturday (January 23 and 24) and tomorrow and again next Saturday there are matinees starting at 2.30 pm.

Tickets are £2.50 (adults) and £1.50 (pensioners and children).  Those interested should ring Silchester 700477.

Arguably comedy has the edge over drama when performed by an amateur company and Alan Ayckbourn can usually be relied on to provide the laughter.

And, as I said earlier this month after an excursion to see the Kingsclere Players' spring production, there is much more to praise than what audiences see on stage.

Silchester Players tackled My Ayckbourn's hilarious episode 'Taking Nets' which has been done by other amateurs — and the professionals — in this area in the past two years.

Mary Fenner produced and aiding and abetting were Brian Hope, Pam Mansfield, Lan Drinkall, Janet Hope, Ray Carter and Margaret Carter — responsible for stage design and construction.

Brian Hope stage managed and was assisted by Ralph Elliot, Derek Heath and Duncan Sturridge with lighting and sound.

And Marilyn and Nigel Clarke (props) and Janet Taylor (costumes) were also there in support for the three-night run at the village hall.

The cast of six handled their roles admirably with Wendy Roper as the flamboyant Elizabeth and Keith Graham playing brother Mark with that wearying monotone voice.

Keith Fenner was an excellent – and funny – Tristram, the somewhat vague solicitor negotiating the sale of a house owned by Leslie (Len Drinkall) to Elizabeth's husband, Roland (John Davies).

Not so involved on stage – by comparison – was Lucy Taylor as Kitty who becomes romantically acquainted with Tristram while 'deserting' Mark.

A noble effort by the Silchester team and, having been out there on a previous mission, I was not that surprised!

Diary dates for the company: October 23 and 24 and 30 and 31 is a Revue of the Year (with supper on the two Saturdays).