press reviews of mother goose 2007 |
Mother Goose homepage |
Daily
Mail on Friday 7 December
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I’m fond of the Queen’s, one of the unstuffier theatres in South-East England. I saw the show on the same night as scores of Girl Guides and Brownie packs. Readers, the noise when they yelled: ‘Behind you!’ My ears are still sore. There are some stage professionals and critics who dislike panto. But when you hear 150 children roaring with laughter, it’s irresistible. Everyone here was having such fun! Chris MacDonnell makes a hideous (i.e., terrific) Mother Goose and has a lovely world-weariness. When his sidekick Meddles (Simon Jessop) comes up with the suggestion of a singing competition between the right and left sides of the auditorium, Mother Goose exclaims: ‘That’s a good idea!’ Slightest of pauses. ‘And so powerfully original’. Mr MacDonnell is perfect for panto, as is Jim Bywater playing dark-caped Nightshade and Stuart Organ, who does Squire Squelch. Mr Jessop takes on a Frank Spencer accent for some of his lines, and puns include: ‘You look like you need a square meal. Here’s an Oxo cube. It’s gilt-edged stock.’ Soup-er... Review by Quentin Letts |
One
of the interesting things about pantomime is seeing which well-known
figures and events are included in the script. Boris Johnson, Beyonce,
I’m A Celebrity and that classic villain Simon Cowell
are some of the cultural references gently teased in a romping Mother
Goose at the Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch.
| The Stage on Thursday 13 December
Jane Milligan’s pink, fluffy Fairy is opposed by Jim Bywater’s glitteringly evil, black, fluffy Demon Nightshade, complete with slight hesitation when crossing the Immortals’ divide. There’s terrestrial nastiness in Stuart Organ’s wicked Squire. Frank Spencer’s influence on Simon Jessup’s character Muddles is redundant. What works marvellously are his increasingly tortuous Spoonerisms, exceeded only by his high energy. Natasha Moore’s Lily is delightfully natural with Hayley-Jane Langwith’s hero Sam rather shouty.Chris MacDonnell’s Dame, a vision of loveliness, wears Jean Roberts’ ever-so haute couture creations involving milk bottles, mortarboard and every-expense-spared decorations. The beehive outfit is a masterpiece of dameness. Amazingly all-aquiver with coyness and fluttering artificial eyelashes is Gregor Henderson - Begg’s totally effective Priscilla. A revelation since, unlike many a Goose, this one constantly listens, acting and reacting, gaining audience support all the time. Bob Carlton’s cast take old routines, stretch them until they ping, timing and choreographing them to total precision. A new one involving a complicated journey is incorporated with equally joyous care. The whole show bowls along merry as a grig. Review by Mary Redman |
Hornchurch
is en fete with Mark Walters’ sparkling setting for a fairy
tale told with its customary panache.
| Evening Standard on Friday 14 December 'Poultry
in motion'
Bob Carlton's production - and credit to Hornchurch for staging this lesser-known story - drips with the sort of appealing, home-grown charm that few venues can match. MacDonnell, who could do with a few more flights of anarchy in his humour, boasts a fantastic wardrobe and Hayley-Jayne Langwith's Sam will certainly keep the Dads awake with her tight principal boy shorts, fishnet stockings and voice like a foghorn. A final note to parents: if you blatantly persist in sending texts during a show, you're not giving the kids an ideal message about the value of theatre. Bah humbug! Review by Fiona Mountford |
It's
a sad fact that December nowadays doesn't give nearly as many actors
the chance to add "pantomime animal" to their CVs as it
used to. Admirably bucking the trend comes Mother Goose, which allows
Gregor Henderson-Begg to transform himself into quite the most winsome
waterfowl seen on a Greater London stage in years. "Poultry
in motion", as Chris MacDonnell's Dame so rightly puts it.
|
Romford Recorder on Friday 14 December
If it’s fun, slapstick and laughter you’re after this festive season, then take a trip to see Mother Goose at the Queen’s Theatre, Billet Lane, Hornchurch writes Julia Borland. The annual pantomime is full of colour, sparkle and magic – traditional family entertainment at its best, with lots of silly jokes thrown in for good measure. Mother Goose (panto dame Chris Mac Donnell) struggles to pay her rent to the nasty Squire Squelch, but all her problems appear to be solved when Priscilla the goose starts laying golden eggs. However, she is still not happy, wishing she was young and pretty again, and gives in to the evil Demon Nightshade when he offers her eternal youth and beauty in exchange for Pricilla. When she realises she has been tricked, Mother Goose embarks on a hilarious journey with her friends to rescue Pricilla – and of course, all’s well that ends well with good triumphing over evil. Even Demon Nightshade turns out to be nice after Fairy Feather casts a spell on him to win the day. Pricilla the goose is the real star of the show, delighting the audience with her big eyes and long lashes, but another star performance comes from the bungling Muddles (Simon Jessop), who keeps the show ticking along at a fast pace and is a real hit with the youngsters. It must have required skilful concentration to deliberately keep getting his words jumbled up! Special mention should also go to the set designers and wonderful costume creators. The panto is a funny musical adventure – albeit a corny tale with a corny ending – but which will leave you feeling warm inside. |
