* Pictured above Luc Sinnadurai as 'Alladin', Lucy Childs as 'Jasmin' and Darren Hazeldon as 'Abanaza'
Fyi:Brecon had to miss the panto this year for the first time in 5 years due to the ill health of one of our team but our colleague at Fyi:Talgarth, Ann Dierikx went along and wrote this great review:
FYI popped along to see the annual 'Westenders' Panto Production 'Alladin' at Theatr Brycheiniog in Brecon. Speechless! What a fantastic performance, one which could have equally been at home in the Hippodrome in Bristol or in any one of our larger City theatres.
The production was written by Mike Charles, Julie Jones and Angela Williams and directed by Mike Charles. The show, a cacophony of laughter, dance and witty rhetoric, lasted several hours with an interval halfway.
The production company was made up of adults from the Westenders Theatre Group with supporting cast and dancers from 'The Chorus Line' and dance classes of the Mid Wales Dance Academy. A whole range of young children and more seasoned performers took to the stage, with many interactive scenes wowing the captive audience. The principal roles of Alladin and Princes Jasmin played by Luc Sinnadurai and Lucy Childs saw confident performances with some lovely singing duets, noticeably with the beautiful voice of Lucy Childs. Our Panto Baddie 'Abanazar' played by cloak swooping Darren Hazeldon, gave us plenty of chances to Boo and Hiss! The Emperor of the whole affair played by Steve Bradshaw supported the more seasoned cast. And, of course, there is no Panto without the Comical Dame and her side-kick. Paul Bowen gave a side-splitting performance as the 'Widow Twankey' hotly followed by his laundry assistant 'Wishee Washee' played by Julie Jones. Hard to believe these two 'amateurs' are not full-time comics, with roars of laughter and clapping the whole audience engaged with the 'it's behind you' and 'oh no you don't' panto chanting.
There was certainly an element of 'blue' in the show and not confined to the costumes! Carefully crafted the lines were delivered with creativity and confidence. Talking of blue, the 'boys in blue' this year were 'Sergeant Ping' played by Rosie Mellerick and 'PC Pong' played by Anghared Allen, reminded us of early 'Laurel and Hardy' with a nod to silent cinema comedy playfulness. Being Alladin there had to be a genie, and we were delighted to have two! Popping up in the midst of clouds of smoke and dry ice, Hannah Marshall gave a great performance as 'Jeannie of the Ring' and Penny Price wowed us as the 'Genie of the lamp'.
Woven in between the storyline and plot were lovely cameos of dance and typical chorus line singing and dancing. One wonderful scene featuring several young dancers with huge illuminated wings caused gasps of wonder from the watching audience. However, the absolute diamond in the show was the floating carpet scene, featured during a duet between Alladin and Jasmin. We had heads up on the clever stage effects which allowed the floating Alladin to soar up above the music pit giving the illusion of floating in mid-air... or was it just 'Magic'....?!
The whole show was equally supported by the musicians Roger Smith, Rob Thomas, Nigel Eastwood and Gethin Evans from Talgarth. Musically directed by Kim Jones Davies and Paula Rogers the whole ensemble was seamlessly put together. Well, what can we say except it was a truly notable performance, a fantastic show and a real credit to the performers and the staff of Theatre Brycheiniog who hosted the performance.
Wait.... what about 'Nigel' I hear you shout? Or was it 'Myfanwy' last but not least we could not go without mentioning the Gorilla (who was renamed in each show!)... yes I know you have never seen a Gorilla in Alladin! But there was one! Played wonderfully and shall we say energetically by Brydie Jones. How she cavorted around the stage all night is surely a feat in itself!
Anyway, with Panto season drawing to a close in Brecon, those of you who saw this year's production were no doubt, as we were, blown away! Truly amazed by the children and adults alike who put on a whopping week's worth of performances, including a special night specially adapted for audience members with Autism. Well done to all involved, and because there were so many involved in and behind the scenes, it is hard to mention them all here.
However, The Westenders have kindly sent us the flyers, which are attached to the bottom of the article which show full credits.
So if you missed it this year, make sure you book your seats next year well in advance you won't be disappointed!
'Sergeant Ping' Rosie Mellerick and 'PC Pong' Anghared Allen joined by the 'Gorilla' Brydie Jones
Steve Bradshaw 'The Emperor' & 'Genious Genies' Penny Price 'Genie of the Lamp' and Hannah Marshall 'Jeannie of the Ring'
Gorilla Rosie joined by Panto Musician Nigel Eastwood, who aptly gave his name to the performances hairy friend!
FYI Talgarth grabs a hug from Panto star 'Widow Twanky' Paul Bowen, pictured with 'Wishee Washee' Julie Jones
For more information on performances at Theatr Brycheiniog, follow the link:
http://www.brycheiniog.co.uk
To find out more about The Westenders on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/thewestenders/
To find out more about the Mid Wales Dance Academy:
https://www.mwda.co.uk
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