Snow White

Society Production Date Venue Report by

: FARINGDON DRAMATIC SOCIETY : Snow White

NODA LONDON For Services to Amateur Theatre

My thanks to Jeni Summerfield, for the invitation to review this year's Pantomime,-- Snow White, by JOHN BEETESON. Your Society is the last to be performed each year, and this year, yours was the only Snow White,-- which was a refreshing change.
With such a large cast (around 60 on stage), I can not write about everyone,-- suffice it to say, you all seemed to have enjoyed taking part in the production, and that is the main ingredient - you made Entertainment (despite what the Queen said!) and she was part of it! These kind of productions bring the people of Faringdon and District closer together, and the warmth of hospitality within your Society helps I am sure in the long run.

The Principals:

· Sarah Varnom - Queen Wormelda - Set the tone for the evening, excellent rapport between the audience and her evil self (was there a sign of a schoolteacher in the character - Oh no there wasn't!). Excellent diction, good use of the stage, and some first class use of hands and eyes. An excellent performance, well done.

· David Field - King Woodynutt - He knew his place, and I'm sure he preferred hiding behind the mirror, he came across well as the feeble King, who could never stand up to the Queen. I would have liked to have seen more variety of tone in the voice, the diction was not always clear, one must be heard at the back of the hall. I would like to have seen him wearing different shoes, they didn't quite seem to fit the part, unless this was intentional?

· Simon Wisbey - Nurse Desirée - What a charming potato!! I liked everything you did - looked good, excellent costumes, fantastic use of your eyes - and wonderful costumes, especially the last. Clear diction, and you kept the pace moving along amongst the other characters. Well done.

· Grace Logan - Billy Biggles - This was a new venture for Grace, and she coped with it well. At times I would have liked to have seen more aggression in her character, but this will I'm sure develop with experience. When you are trying to get audience participation, look to the back of the hall, raise your voice, and include everyone, do not just speak to the first few rows. The people at the back are just as important. Worked well with Tiggles.
· Lyndsay Kendrick - Tiggles - Looked good, fine costume and make-up - made good use of the stage, some wonderful expressions, and I liked your duet with Billy. You matched each other very well, and you looked as if you were enjoying the part.

· Kathryn Whiffen - Snow White - I'm sure you enjoyed your first leading role with FDS. You looked good, you smiled and the audience warmed to your character. Sweet voice, and I liked your rendering of "I will Love You" with the Prince.

· Lauren Anderson - Prince Boldligo - Another strong performance - competent in the role. Good clear diction, and the confidence in the role showed.

· Lois Wells - Velda Vixen - No longer the nervous beginner of 8 years ago - played her character with conviction, and kept the pace of the show moving along when she was on stage with the Robbers.

· Katie Dyet - Silas Sly - Looked the part (sorry!), and threw herself into it "heart and soul". Excellent use of facial expressions, good hand movements, and very flexible body movements. A good foil for Velda, you both played your roles with enthusiasm. Well done.

· Rob Thorpe - Ringmaster - Looked the part and came over very well. Good diction and fine voice. There was no need to look at the Musical Director between verses in your solo. You had the confidence to sing it, without looking in her direction. Introduced the circus events in Act 2 with enthusiasm. Well done.

· The Chorus - All 39 of you who were either the Robbers, Little People (or the Little and Large Show - Inflation did stand out!), Circus Entertainers, Village Dancers, Acro-Magic, Robber's Gang, Circus Horses, Circus Folk - You ALL contributed well, and in your own way to the success of the show. Congratulations to you all.

· Karen Whiffen (Director) and Paul Mountford-Lister (Assistant Director) - You must both have had some sleepless nights and headaches after some rehearsals, wondering why you had takenon such a commitment, with such a large cast. You did a wonderful job, and made such good use of the stage and the rest of the hall. The entertainment acts in the circus were well thought out and were well executed - one could have thought we were in a real circus. One could see the discipline that had been instilled into such a number of people. Congratulations to you both, and your team of helpers, of which I'm sure there were many.

· Chier Chang - Musical Director - A new venture, and I hope you enjoyed the experience - I'm sure it will live with you for some time to come. The orchestra were well balanced, and never once did they try to drown out those on stage, there were one or two hesitant starts to music, but well done to all of you.

· Becca Lock - Chorographer - What I liked about this was that Becca was working in the main with ordinary people, and not a group from a Dance School (no disrespect to them at all), and Everybody gave of their best - but not everyone was smiling, which is so important when you are on stage!. Congratulations to you and the cast.

· The Production Team - Where would any Society be without them? Good make-up; Scenery on a limited stage; Costumes (you are fortunate to have such a dedicated team); Lighting; Sound; Programme; Front of House etc, etc. All were up to specification, and everything seemed to run smoothly.

Keep up the good work, and Best Wishes for the rest of the show at the end of this week.