LEISURE: Peter Pan was a soaraway success – but Cinderella will soon be here!

THE curtain has come down, Peter Pan has only just left the building and Tinkerbell’s fairy dust has barely settled – but the award-winning Octagon Theatre in Yeovil is already looking ahead to its next fun-packed pantomime.

Evolution Pantomimes once again struck the winning formula as the Octagon enjoyed 53 fabulous shows of Peter Pan over the Christmas period which played host to a record 29,000 people who revelled in all the usual panto chaos, creativity and corny jokes (writes Steve Sowden).

But although all good things have to come to an end the Octagon team is not too downhearted as they know it will not be long before preparations are moving into full swing to welcome Cinderella into the theatre for another feast of panto magic.

Cinderella will be performed between December 8, 2017, and January 7, 2018, and once again will be written by Paul Hendy and produced by Evolution, the same team behind the success of Peter Pan.

Tickets are priced between £13.50 and £21 and there are Early Bird prices available up until March 31, 2017.

But let’s not get too carried away about Cinderella and her hopes of going to the ball later this year, but reminisce and smile at the ball the Octagon has just experienced with Peter Pan.

The title role of Peter Pan was played by Scott Sutcliffe and he and Wendy, played by Samantha Dorrance, linked up well together aided and abetted by Jo Osmond as Tinkerbell.

The flying scenes were well done and you could sense the amazement among the younger members of the audience who were mesmerised by what they were seeing on stage.

The laughs were provided by Jack Glanville as Smee and the larger-than-life Jack Edwards as the all-important Panto Dame, Mrs Starkey, and their fish-related pun sketch was excellently executed.

While there was plenty of slap-stick humour and jokes which everyone enjoyed, there were a few amusing moments for the “adults only” – nothing naughty as such, but still above the children’s heads to give the grown-ups a chuckle.

But I do like the panto baddies and Captain Hook, played by Andrew Fettes, did not disappoint and I particularly liked it when he said did not mind being on the receiving end of the audience’s dislike because of all the boos (or was that booze) he got.

Another of my Octagon panto favourites was back again for another year Lizzie Frances who took on three roles during the show – Mrs Darling, fire-eating Indian Big Chief Squatting Cow and Myrtle the Mermaid. It was during the scene with the Mermaids which Lizzie rekindled her Barbara Windsor-style Carry On voice which she used so superbly as Spirit of the Ring in the Aladdin panto held at the Octagon back in 2012.

But top marks should also go to the large ensemble of 37 young talented future stage stars who helped to swell the numbers of the Lost Boys and Indians, as well as brothers John and Michael.

The children were split into two teams and performed in alternate pantos and their commitment and dedication to the production was superb and they should be rightly proud of their efforts.

It was testament to how good the show was that come the final half-a-dozen performances the “sold out” signs had gone up as people grabbed the last few tickets to indulge in panto Never Neverland.

All in all Peter Pan was a soaraway success and an all-round team effort. O yes it was…..

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