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JACK and the Beanstalk, Faringdon Dramatic Society's pantomime this year, played to capacity audiences for its, five
performances last week.
Scripted by John Crocker, it stayed faithful to the fairy tale we old'uns remember, while sparkling with lively comic action, superb original songs
astoundingly well sung and such splendid choreography - well, I didn't mind missing The Phantom of the
Opera after all!
Jack was Debbie Lock and enchanting Princess Felicia was Emma Woodyer. Jack's
Mum, Dame Durden (Mike Clark) captivated younger members of the audience on sight
while Simple Simon (Carolyn Taylor) clinched it by getting total vocal support through his wobbly shyness.
Higher up the social ladder, Carole White and Gail Mander had energetic roles as Sirs Bubble and Squeak, courtiers to the
magnificently laid-back King Umpty the Umptieth (Nigel Keith-Walker).
Nigel Murrin made persistently explosive entrances as the wicked Demon
Pestblight, countered by Sandra Holland as Good Fairy Evergreen.
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Sarah Woodyear appeared as the Pie man, Carole Tappenden and Lorraine France
bringing up the rear as Daisy the Cow, and the quite incredible double-headed
Jake the Peg Giant Blunderbore, harnessing the ever unpredictably outrageous talent of Mike Durham and Alan
Taylor.
It was a fabulous show. The costumes were, magnificent. The "whispers" of toddler first-timers were, as ever, to the point.
The soulful farewell to Daisy the Cow being led off to market was punctuated by one mite's observation: 'She's wearing shoes.:!"
The chorus comprised a highly-talented, hugely- attractive. bunch of young people I shall
look forward to seeing as full-fledged members of FADS.
I happen to know some names were missing from the programme and others were.
mis-spelt so, this time around, the chorus shall be nameless - but not unnoticed.
Ivy Curzon
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