16.1.16
Review by – Jo Wilson-Hunt (Regional Rep Area 8a)
Robinson Crusoe and the Pirates,The Wayfarers Pantomime Society
The Brewhouse Theatre,Taunton
Director Brian Epps; Choreographer Sheila Driver; MD Matthew Holmes
Wayfarers like to be traditional with pizazz, Robinson Crusoe began in that vein with cookie Coral the Sea Fairy and Davy Jones throwing down the gauntlet to see if good or evil would win the day…..On to the opening ….a massive none stop Conga which sparkled and shone, at this point we met Margarita Jucilita, not your typical dame, ‘she’ proved her worth on the dance floor and in delivering a song, she also informed us that if you were looking for a plot there wasn’t one…..she was right. This was very much a musical delight with a touch of zany and few pointers towards a story but it worked. Characters were enthused and firing on all cylinders even after performing twice already on Saturday, obviously Dr Showbiz had given them a shot of adrenalin as they bounced around the stage. A beautiful Principal Boy and Girl sang and danced delightfully and met the very well-mannered Friday, and Nutty Nick desperately tried to protect his nuts (it’s a long story so don’t ask!!!) as mayhem ensued, mostly caused by him, comic timing runs in this man’s veins…..Now dancing was very much an integral part of this production and Skull-Duggery and Cross- Bones had lots so the question remains…how the heck did Duggery manage it with one leg strapped up?….he was unbelievable and never once fell over…..the comedy was also great guys. On the Isle of Mumbo Jumbo we met the slightly scary Mumbo Jumbo herself and the Cannibals along with Hocus Pocus the Witch Doctor another young man whose enthusiasm abounded. But we must not forget the gorgeous little Polly Parrot who as the most junior principal gave a really polished and controlled performance…it will be interesting to see this young lady develop. As always the chorus and dancers were high spirited and visually it was a feast, everything moved swiftly and time passed in a flash…… no child had time to contemplate leaving their seat as they were engrossed from the off. This show had its pre-show moments with casting etc but it used these issues to its advantage to give more energy and vibrancy. Wayfarers have got back their zap in 2016…so what’s next?