The award winning New Strolling Players recently finished their run of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” by local playwright Cheryl May. It was with some intrigue and excitement I went to their evening showing on the 16th of December. How would this panto go? Was there enough plot in place for the great reveal (if you pardon the pun) at the end?

All this, and a swordfighting dancing dog (Summer Plumley, one to watch for the future), was answered with aplomb.

Directed by Rowanna Earl-Payne, who bravely stepped into the title role of Emperor Kashmir following a late withdrawal by a previous actor, the show tightly presented a fun farce like plot set in the magical fashion-obsessed kingdom of Mirabelle.

When the Emperor names his daughter, Princess Taffeta (played ably by young island star Izy Bishop) his heir apparent, it drives the evil Wick-Eed to seek out two con artists Collar and Cuffs (Valerie Resin and Deana Turnbull) to make a special avant garde outfit for him to shame him into giving him the throne instead. Cue hilarity, booing, an exploding oven, a werewolf and a fashion show all served in 2 hours over a night of entertainment in Freshwater.

David Parkinson stopped and snarled his way about the stage as Wick-Eed, a shame that there was a decision to have him lipsync his song as his personality would have more then carried it off.

Special props go to a standout turn from Lewis Pavey as Lacey Bloomers. Oozing confidence and serving fierce, he delivered jokes and sass a plenty to a very receptive audience, a commanding performance for a first time Dame. Also JoJo Westwood as Buttons solidly backed him up with laughs and funny facial expressions.

Nick Robinson played a Mirror with oddball charm and good timing. Hannah Coleman-Butler as Fairy Chiffon kept the story and pace going with a wave of her wand or a fistful of glitter when there was an occasional scene change or interlude that went on a little too long, and the chorus featuring some very young faces on the stage entertained everyone with some energetic dance numbers.

Although the relationship between Princess Taffeta and Beau (Alexandra Knight) was quite wholesome to watch, the show could have benefited from mics, as the scenes featuring only a few people in them were noticeably quieter then the large chorus numbers. Also it may be beneficial for the company to consider either just having their music played live, or just having it on a backing track, as the mix of both in this production sometimes meant the sound was uneven and took you out of the moment.

Overall though, the story was well told and delivered, particularly a great use of an apron gag at the end to great hilarity. Having never before seen a performance from this company, I would be very interested in coming back and seeing what new shows they have planned this year and years to come.

A well-done to all involved for their hard work.

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Reviewed by Olly Fry

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