A CUT Too Far is an original, political panto, written with the long-standing (35 years) Junior Minstead group in mind. The group consists of children from Minstead, aged four years and upwards, who bring enthusiastic and inclusive community theatre to the area.
There were some good performances: Sir Humphrey Bigcuts (Ruari Chisholm) oozed self-satisfaction with his evil plans to ban panto. The bad boys of Minstead (Freddie Briggs, Ralph Mansfield, Oliver Elms, Herbie Willis) were charming (in the end) and the Babes in the Wood were very sweet, with the short-haired girl delivering every word and action impressively, given her very young age.
The production could have done with more pace but the limitations of the venue perhaps accounted for this. It was a treat to have a real band and that greatly added to the atmosphere.
I’m sure Junior Minstead has many successful years ahead of them now they have saved Panto!
