Puss In Boots — Cassie Hall

Puss In Boots - Pantomime

Nottingham Arts Theatre in association with Amanda Hall Scripts presents Puss In Boots the Pantomime

In the small Welsh town of Poppity Ping Colin is a young lad dreaming of a better life and wishing to stop working for his mother, Dame Penny Pasta in her pasta-making mill. However, as he works there alongside his siblings Mia, Marco and Benito you can guarantee that chaos ensues!

Perhaps with a little magic from the Shoe Fairy, and a transformation of a certain feline friend, can take Colin’s life one glittering step closer to those dreams of his.

When:
3rd - 18th December 2022.

Where:
Nottingham Arts Theatre.
George St, Nottingham NG1 3BE

Reviews

“Amanda Hall and Matt Wesson have penned another classic old skool production with all the pantomime favourites in full effect thanks to the excellent direction by Cassie, Musical direction by Samantha, and on point choreography from the talented trio coupled with the excellent cast, crew and Technical Team. ”

— Martin Holtom

NODA

It has been two years since I last came to a Nottingham Arts Theatre Pantomime and I was very much looking forward to Puss in Boots with a live audience of fascinated children and the young at heart and I was certainly not disappointed!

Amanda Hall and Matt Wesson have penned another classic old skool production with all the pantomime favourites in full effect thanks to the excellent direction by Cassie, Musical direction by Samantha, and on point choreography from the talented trio coupled with the excellent cast, crew and Technical Team.

In addition to the obligatory running gags – “Fur Balls”, “Gnocchi is not pasta it’s a potato” and the “It’s behind you” scene, the soundtrack to the show was refreshingly novel and on trend as well as some Christmas essentials including a very prop heavy, fast paced and laugh out loud rendition of The Twelve Days of Christmas for the audience participation number.

No Pantomime is complete without a strong cast and this production was blessed with strength in depth amongst the key principals. Charlotte Barrington and Megan Leahy (who I saw at the dress rehearsal), both brought their own unique personalities to “principal girl” Princess Bethan and won their audience over within minutes of their arrival on stage.

Mason Hart was a stand-out Puss in Boots who used his physicality, from face to the tip of his boots, to great effect as well as always ensuring that his performance supported the narrative of the show. He also created a great double act with Emily-Hope Wilkins who as Colin Pasta was one of, if not the best, “Principal Boys” I have seen in terms of believability, ability to engage with an audience, energy on stage in dance and dialogue alike and telegraphing emotion in facial expression through all the appallingly good and bad puns that littered the script.

The rest of the “Pasta” family delivered great performances in every case. Michael Pearson was the perfect Dame Penny Pasta with frequent costume changes into ever more fantastical outfits. The tongue twisters that Amanda and Matt had created for Michael would have tested the patience of a saint so bravo for managing their delivery!

Michael was ably supported by Tilly Wishart as Mia Pasta, who brought the audience along with her characterisation of the relatively competent member of the pasta making family. Her entrances and overall delivery were always high energy that very much helped to drive forward the narrative of the production.

Laura Ellis and Patrick McCrystal showed their experience and comic timing throughout as “Mario Twins” Benito and Marco Pasta and both brought out the fun of the production while keeping the level of corpsing to the right level when delivering the great “Bad jokes” that littered the script.

Mike Newbold in his nth pantomime at the Arts Theatre brought just the right balance of attempted gravitas and incompetence to his portrayal of dotty and ineffectual King Ivor. The key to a good king is to be sincerely stupid and not make fun of the character or overplay his naivety and Mike managed this to perfection. Joe Butler was in great form as the villain of the show as Sir Hector the Tax Inspector. Again she was believably evil when alone with the audience and sycophantic with the King as she wound him round her little finger with talk of an Ogre who need constant sacrifice of Gold. Amelia Wishart was a sympathetic Gwen and excelled in both dance and singing alike together with Zoe, Naomi and Madelyn in the Adult Company.

Sian Hooton and Sophie Petruccio-Hall again both brought their own personalities and talents to the role of the Shoe Fairy who both managed the job of moving the audience from scene to scene painting pictures with their narrative and dance talents with the rest of the Adult, Senior and Children’s Company.

The staging, lighting and costuming of the pantomime were all exceptional and completed the production to great effect. The sound balance between the soundtrack and on-stage singing was very well judged ensuring that the diction and delivery of the performers was always the focus. A very enjoyable Christmas treat – so congratulation to all and see you next year for Sleeping Beauty!

— Martin Holtom

Kev Castle

The panto writing super team of Amanda Hall and Matt Wesson are back again with another fun-filled pantomime that is purr-fect for the whole family this Christmas. This will be Amanda's tenth consecutive panto that she has penned. The combination of this pair's talents guarantee that they know exactly what it takes to entertain audiences of every age.

The action is set in the small Welsh town of Poppity Ping where Colin Pasta and his siblings, Mia Pasta, Marco Pasta and Benito Pasta live with their Mum, Dame Penny Pasta. King Ivor, who lives with his daughter Princess Bethan, employs Sir Hector the Tax Inspector, who's job is to collect the taxes to give to the Ogre, who would abduct the Princess if not paid. But there is a twist in this tale.........

Colin, who works for his Mum, as well as in the Cobblers to make ends meet has a bit of a soft spot for the Princess and dreams of marrying her, but surely only a Prince can marry a Princess? Colin also has a pet cat, a stray, who once Vanessa The Shoe Fairy has cast a spell on the boots, intended for Colin, Puss finds his voice and gets to help Colin out. Meow? Well, you'll have to see the panto to discover what happens.

Sian Hooton is Vanessa the Show Fairy, who kicks the panto off. Typically, in rhyme and in a Welsh brogue, she kept the flow of the panto going.

Mike Pearson is Dame Penny Pasta, and a welcome return to the frock and heels for Mike. Nottingham is blessed with dames, well they used to say that there were seven to every young man in the City, but seriously folks, in Nottingham there are some very talented male actors who make excellent Dames, and Mike is one of them. And who better to write Dame jokes than another Dame, Matt Wesson. Mike really worked hard to get the audience in panto mood and succeeds by the end. Great costumes, by Jules Sheppard, and make up and a nice delivery of lines, even with just a little help in the pit.

Emily-Hope Wilkins is Colin Pasta, and one of many very strong voices in this cast. Instantly likeable and packed with energy, and just wait until you see Colin's wedding outfit; very stylish.

Mason Hart as Puss, or should that be Galmour-puss? Love the droll delivery of the lines, as if he knows that he is so above everyone else; well don't all cats? Lovely regional accent atop of one classy cat, and even though I was only aware of Puss's song in this panto, "Fun Fun Fun", because I have the "Cat In The Hat" soundtrack and I did like the "seaside/music hall" style humour of this song.

Tilly Wishart plays Mia Pasta. Another character who has bundles of energy and a strong singing voice, and always looks like she is having fun whenever she is on stage.

Patrick McChrystal plays Marco and Laura Ellis plays Benito. On or off stage they make a great pairing and bounce off each other well. In Act Two there is a great scene where they both apply for jobs working for Sir Hector. It's very reminiscent of the Abbot & Costello sketch "Who's on First", but is great fun and well delivered by Paddy, Laura and Joe.

Joe Butler is the nasty Sir Hector the Tax Inspector, and I actually enjoyed this nasty piece of work the more the panto progressed because there were layers of Hector's character that I hadn't expected. Normally with a bad guy, they can be one dimensional, but this character is deeper and darker, and I get a sneaking suspicion that Joe enjoyed playing this character very much.

I did have to smile to myself at one part in Act Two where to my right-hand side there was a particular "gobby kid" who felt that they had to comment with great volume nearly all the way through the panto, and albeit not to this particular child, one of Hector's lines was "If you wanted to be in the panto, you should have come to rehearsals".

Princess Bethan's role is shared by Charlotte Barrington and Megan Leahy, and whichever actor you get to see play the Princess, you'll be in for a treat. Amelia Walton is Gwen, the Princess's best friend

Mike Newbold plays King Ivor, and what I love about Mike is that he will throw himself into any role. King Ivor is one of those roles that is made for Mike; slightly bumbling - King Ivor that is, not Mike. And he still manages to not look out of place in the several modern dance numbers in this panto.

There are two sets of teams over the performance period, Team Bolognaise (the team I saw) who were Daisy Hillery, Sadie Ridley, Chloe Sims, Ruby Armstrong, Savannah Ajula, Neveah Joihal, Grace Moroziuk and Sophia Rees, and Team Dragon who are Alannah Hills, Isobel Farr, Eliza Szejda, Hermione Cumbers, Olivia Finch, Emma Price, Mia Jacks, Sahazra Peddi and Betsy Stevens.

Directed by Cassie Hall, this is a song heavy panto, which may not all be recognisable songs to the average panto audience but there is a smattering of well-known tunes from over the decades. For me, I don't feel the inclusion of Puss's fur balls repetition added anything to the panto and was left wondering why they were included at all. That said the cast choice was spot on and was paced about right.

Loved the clever pasta puns and the Faster Master Pasta Maker scene, which was gentle slapstick, the Gnocchi continuation joke and audience participation as well as the puppets plus the aforementioned "What/Who" section, and of course the obligatory "groan" jokes as well some clever new jokes that I had not heard before.

Sound by Rob Kettridge, and this is the first show for a while that there have been no missed sound cues - even the Playhouse panto had one slight missed cue, but not one missed cue here at the Arts Theatre. And may I also say what a lovely clear sound throughout the show; I could hear every word and the music mix was fabulously balanced.

Lighting by Oliver Read, and I know that if Oliver is in charge of the lighting design, then it's in professional and safe hands, and I was not disappointed. A great light design operated cleanly by Arona Jones with stealthily operated follow spots by Cathy Bodman and George Wilson.

Musical Direction is by Samantha Hedley, who I know of by her work with the Kristian Thomas Company.

As previously mentioned, there were a lot of songs that may not be instantly recognisable. "Opening Up" from "Waitress" opens the show up, George Ezra's album track "Gold Rush Kid", while being uptempo and catchy, would be lost on most people. There are however plenty of recognisable songs to tap a toe or a foot to.

The choreography is by Charlotte Barrington, Sian Hooton and Megan Leahy. I loved the short tap dance routine as well as the short ballet routine, in fact all of the choreography was appreciated by this particular Strictly enthusiast.

Loved the set design, by Amanda and Cassie Hall. Loved the energy, loved the jokes (good and groanable) and love the value for money entertainment you get with the Arts Theatre; almost three hours long.

Not only that you can keep yourself warm in the interval with some gorgeously fruity mulled wine and mince pies.

— Kev Castle

East Midlands Theatre

This year’s amateur Puss In Boots production is well written by Amanda Hall and Matt Wesson and directed by Cassie Hall. The musical director is Samantha Hedley. The Nottingham Arts Theatre productions have a big following and some of this year’s pantomime is already sold out. Very often they have big contingents of school children in their audience who love the NAT panto and, historically the cast’s principals will gather outside the theatre to let the children and adults take a group photo or selfie with the Dame and other principals. It is a very friendly, inclusive, and welcoming company and no wonder they get regulars returning year- after-year for their fun fix of Nottingham Arts Theatre pantomime. Oh yes they do! I can’t hear you. “OH YES THEY DOOOO!”

Today I get to review their very first performance of Puss In Boots and it is a sold-out Saturday matinée. The place (and its comfy plush seating) is buzzing with family groups and a large group of youngsters from the NAT Youth group. Pantomime is one of the few times when reviewers and general theatre-goers can actually relax to the sound of sweet wrappers being scrunched and drinks being slurped. We even pretend to enjoy the sight of the smaller restless children continuously trying to climb over their doting parents whilst kicking the reviewer in the face. This is why we are seated conveniently next to them. Shouting out is normal practice. Shrieking and ear-shattering bellowing “He’s Behind You!” and hitting the wincing reviewer in the face with your pulsating neon wand is fine. We love it. It’s all part of the panto fun boys and girls. Want to spill your full drink into the reviewer’s lap. He loves that too. Bless the little kiddies and their uncontrollable limbs. God bless ‘em – every one.

So, where were we? Oh yes – Puss In Boots (Boots the footware not the famous Nottingham-based company). It’s a generally enjoyable two and a half hours long pantomime including interval. The first act is a little lengthy for me. And, maybe because I am a grumpy adult who wants to be told a story, however panto-simplistic, I find that this Puss In Boots storyline gets a little lost due to the decision to use rather a lot of songs to keep the show up and bright. That’s not to say that the songs and dances, including an unexpected and a bit gratuitous, brief ballet sequence, are not well done. They are all of a high standard and this audience applaud accordingly and, should their offspring be in the cast, they applaud like crazy. Of course, they do. It is great to encourage young people into performing live and the subsequent benefits of confidence building, discipline and theatre skills learnt are invaluable. Many will stay with the company for many a year and rise up from being in the chorus to one day having the skills and confidence to perform in the main roles.

Today, there is a sulky female teenager in the audience who maybe, just maybe, didn’t get offered a part in the panto and feels that it is perfectly alright to show off to her teen cronies by constantly trying to interrupt the pantomime performers with loud and over- dramatic (I’m so bored) huffs and puffs and sarcastic comments. Every snide interruption from this jealous young girl is a reminder that the people on the stage, wisely ignoring her outbursts – like the stage champions they are, are so much better and more mature than her. That is why they are on the stage entertaining people and you are not dear.

Puss In Boots has gone international this year – well it has gone over the border to Wales – to the fictional town of Poppity Ping. The story concerns itself with a wicked money-greedy Ogre, King Ivor (Mike Newbold) and Sir Hector The Tax Collector (Joe Butler) and the Welsh/Italian Pasta family. The Pasta family are Mia Pasta (Tilly Wishart), Colin Pasta (Emily Hope Wilkins), twins Marco Pasta (Patrick McCrystal) Benito Pasta (Laura Ellis) and Dame Penny Pasta (Mike Pearson). There are an incredible amount of corny pasta and pizza related jokes in the script all performed with relish by the cast. And a side helping of garlic bread.

Puss himself is performed by Mason Hart and he offers up a languorous slinky cat who, when he tries on the magic boots, we discover that he can talk and sing rather well. Who’d have thought? Me? How? Hart’s laid-back Puss and his amusing attitudes is one of the fun highlights of the show. Emily-Hope Wilkins is tremendous as cat-lover Colin Pasta. She bestrides the stage in her own thigh length boots with such confidence and a charming sense of fun and humour. Instantly likable is Tilly Wishart as Mia Pasta, another actor with bundles of energy, a good sense of absurdity and a strong singing voice. Laura Ellis and Patrick McCrystal as knock about twins Benito and Marco are winners with this reviewer and the children in the audience, who I suspect would like them to make even more of a big flour, eggs and water mess in the Pasta Mill ‘Messy Scene’ than they actually do.

Most pantos rely on their baddie characters to scare the audience (but often in a comical way) and the Puss In Boots baddie (Sir Hector The Tax Collector) is played by Joe Butler. She does a good job as the baddie given that the character is written as a bit of a one-note nasty. After about the fourth time she appears on stage as the creepy Sir Hector the cheeky kids in the audience have picked up and echo her Sir Hector’s slimy “ Yeeeerse – you maaaagesty!” Then Sir Hector reveals quite another side to his character and evil motivations… Boo hiss!

Michael Pearson is natural for Panto Damehood this time as Dame Penny Pasta, a ‘Welsh Lady’ with a roving romantic eye for any handsome man in the audience and a fun collection of outrageous costumes and concern for her children and the Pasta Business. Pearson has an instantaneous rapport with the audience and his/her teamwork with the cast is very amusing even when he/she goes temporarily off book. Like with any good panto dame, it is fun to keep the cast on their toes as you all work through unexpected ‘situations’.

In this production there are two actors who share the role of Princess Bethan namely Megan Leahy and Charlotte Barrington. Today we have Charlotte Barrington as Princess Bethan, who like many a modern panto princess, is less about falling instantly in love and having a fairy tale marriage and more practical in her approach to life – albeit in a pantomime. She’s pasta all that nonsense. Springing up from time to time is Siân Hooton, delighting us with her helpful fairy – Vanessa the Shoe Fairy who turns on her magic wand to cast spells and casts spells herself with her balletic turns of feet. Joining the Puss In Boots cast are the excellent dancers in the adult and the young company who give the show such pizazz. As opposed to pizza.

Don’t go to this production if you are hungry as, aside from the endless pasta jokes, the glossy programme itself is full of lickable photos of pasta and pizza dishes! You would almost expect the panto ending (usually a shower of glitter or coloured paper landing on the grinning cast) to be amended to a shower of grated aged Pecorino Romano cheese. A penne for your thoughts?

— Phil Lowe

Production Team