REVIEW: Scrooge The Pantomime, Westfield Productions, The Point (From Daily Echo)

REVIEW: Scrooge The Pantomime, Westfield Productions, The Point

1:25pm Wednesday 25th January 2012 in Curtain Call By Anne Waggott

Scrooge the Pantomime was always going to be a gamble, and was a somewhat surreal experience!

Graham Barnes was excellent as curmudgeonly Scrooge, a terrific pantomime villain with an aptitude for comedy, good singing voice and complex characterisation.

Chris Thompson was a usually jovial Cratchet who portrayed genuine poignancy at his son’s grave.

Although I found the garish characters of Dame Daisy and Harrybo too out of place for Scrooge, Wendy Grocott and Sam Lock performed the traditional panto comedy duo well.

The young chorus members were enchanting, particularly during the song Be Our Guest, and their enthusiasm could not be faulted.

Splendid hired scenery and atmospheric lighting were aesthetically pleasing, while the choreography was great and dancing enjoyable.

However, the pre-recorded music overpowered immature voices and there were tuning issues, as well as some technical hitches Some rather mismatched ideas meant that the whole production didn’t quite gel, but there was still much to enjoy.