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"ALICE IN WONDERLAND" IMAGES Etc.

“ Alice in Wonderland”    The Village PIayers

Congratulations!

Someone sent a rocket into space, and it came back sprinkled with stardust which moulded itself into THE VILLAGE PLAYERS What a SPLENDID SHOW, I did enjoy it.

Let's take a look at it. If there were special stars they were the little ones just loving being on stage and not afraid of "looking silly". Brilliant to watch them. They had the backing of the seasoned members of the cast, Dame Gladys with her one liners and overacting skills, Tweedle Dee, the perfect companion for a star of tomorrow,  Tweedle Dum.  He was such fun to watch as he LIVED everything going on around him. The Alice's, 3 generations, beautifully played by Nikki, aided by a sweet youngster, Abigail, and abetted by Old Alice (oh, come on!) performing her swansong (We shall miss you, Sue) Prince Valentino had his moments, like the sword fight, but needed to swash his buckle a little more at other times, and Billy needed to strut his stuff a bit more too. Ernest Compost was a hoot, what a great accent, every word crystal clear, and the same goes for Princess Incontinenta who carried off her "petulant child" role to perfection. The Queen of Hearts, well, she looked fearsome, she will terrorise dozens of kids at the matinee, and she ruled the stage with her presence. (One tip from Pat ‑ wear black tights Carol, there was a little bit of you showing that wasn't fearsome!)

Wasn't the White Rabbit a good scene setter? Yes, very good, nice and bouncy and tied it all together. I Loved the Mad Hatter's Tea Party ‑ all of you, but a pity the dormouse's mask muffled everything she said‑ and, surely the Mad Hatter's price tag is Half a Guinea (10/6d), it's on the programme picture. Perhaps it's the deliberate mistake for old duffers like me to spot. I know I'm getting on a bit, glasses, hearing aid and all that, and please correct me if I'm wrong. But I distinctly heard Alice refer to the Cheshire Cat as "HE". A "HE" is definitely not what the Cheshire Cat is, ME‑ WOW!!!

So there we go for another year. If I haven't mentioned you, my apologies, but you are still one of those bits of stardust making the whole show sparkle.

The Village Players, Pilning

‘Alice in Wonderland’
Puns and appalling alliterations abounded in this excursion into Wonderland, being a departure from a December production, perhaps more enjoyable because it was this side of Christmas.
Some good one liners: ‘Having a beauty sleep - gone for a few weeks then?’ and some terrible jokes ‘What do you call a fly with no wings: a walk’, set the scene for the evening’s entertainment.
Julie Padbury was able to use her experience in a different type of role as the White Rabbit, getting the show moving and wearing an excellent costume.
The Second Principal Girl, Abbey Padbury, gave a confident and amusing debut as Princess Incontinenta.
Individual comic items blended well with a variety of numbers from different musicals. Becca Plumley as the Cheshire Cat gave a fine performance with an outstanding costume and face make-up.
An interesting "Blind Date" sketch demonstrated Carol Woodhouse’s ability and versatility in taking on two characters, namely Cilla Black and also the (baddy) Queen of Hearts.
Some imaginative and well executed choreography was in evidence, particularly in the Youth Club dance number. In ‘Bring it All Back’ the youngsters were obviously enjoying their contribution and demonstrated it proudly. The ‘Fantasia’ number was also good in terms of choreography and there were some very effective masks.
Competent performances of duets were also in evidence from Alice (Nikki Tyzack) and Prince Valentino (Lyn Waterhouse). Alice looked very much the part as the traditional girl adventuring in wonderland.
Tweedles Dum (Robbie Cecere) and Dee (Lindsey Thomas) were excellently portrayed, despite the differences in physical size. Dum (making his debut) was a very good foil to Dee.
Pat Woodward (Dame Gladys) is always ready to do her bit and her rendition of ‘Copa Cabana’ was very good, especially visually, as were her other extravavagant ‘Dame’ outfits.
‘Anything You Can Do’ was also well performed by Alice and the Tweedles.
Considering the limited resources, facilities and space, this was a very respectable production and a good atmosphre was acheived.
I was reminded once again of the village production in ‘Cider With Rosie’ - the simplicity and charm of this wholesome entertainment being a refreshing contrast from some of today’s television entertainment. Alan Pickard. Thornbury Gazette.

Characters

Alice....Nikki Tyzack        Dame Gladys....Pat Woodward
Prince Valentino....Lynn Waterhouse
Tweedle Dum....Robbie Cecere      Tweedle Dee....Lindsey Thomas
Queen of Hearts....Carol Woodhouse      Princess Incontinenta....Abbey Padbury
Billy....Amy Glover      Ernest Compost....Antony Reynolds
White Rabbit....Julie Padbury      MadHatter....Hilda Dunn
Dormouse....Alice Watkins      March Hare....Vicky Morris
Cheshire Cat....Becca Plumley      Executioner....Michelle Bray-Warner
The Mummy....Megan Wigmore      Old Alice....Sue Cannon
Young Alice....Abigail Humphries      Skeleton....George MacGillivray
Boy One & Boy Two:-....James and Jojo Hurford-Reynolds
Gang Members: Teah and Copper Lewis, Hope Riches, Emma Goulden, Vicky Morris, Amy Wheaton, Megan Wigmore
Spooks:- Amy Wheaton,Hilda Dunn, Michelle Bray-Warner