CAODS crept into town to deliver a spine chilling Panto packed with scares a-plenty…and that was just the dad jokes. 

Trinity Theatre hosted a fun family show directed by Aimee and Tracy Howard, that featured some confident young performers taking to the stage alongside some seasoned pros and veterans alike! 

Kate Chandler played the likable lead Duffy Van Helsing like she had been on stage all her life, and led the audience through a story to find her father Professor Van Helsing (played by colourful character actor Karl Whitmore with aplomb).

Helping Duffy in her crusade against the undead were Fred Corpuscle, played ably by Maddie Cox, and Rema Globin by Lexi Skeldon-Downer. Against them was the formidable Count Dracula aka Major Artery, enthusiastically embodied by Tom Turner, gleefully devouring scenery and channeling the Lord of Darkness by way of Matt Berry. Duncan Greaves showed off his comic improv skills as Dame Plasma and did a lot of heavy lifting when it came to interacting with the audience, props also goes to him for entertaining the crowd during a technical problem during the first half of the show that I saw.

Inspector Ventricle and P.C. Platelet played by Val Michalski and Becky Langridge entertained the more seasoned parts of the audience with their “Allo Allo” style language jokes. Dr Bearer played by Georgie Mackett also delivered chortle-worthy one liners with charisma. The young chorus of Bats and Rats showed gymnastic flair and performing confidence alongside the older performers, cartwheeling across the stage to such tunes as “Bat out of Hell”, “London Calling” and “Thriller”.

Trinity has a long history delivering seasonal pantos, I myself being lucky enough to be in one. Another week or two of rehearsal would have further aided the flourishing performers to bolster some dance choreography as well as make lighting, projections and scenery changes more assured.

The production also would have benefited from musical interludes and songs played live to further enhance the fun mood that goes along with these shows. A little more polish always increases confidence onstage and further cements cast camaraderie. When a cast feels together, it really lets the audience feel the same.

The show plays on the 8th, 13th, 14^th and 15^th of December: come for the night and stay for a bite! Tickets available from http://www.caods.org.uk

Review by Olly Fry