Ian Frederick has written this personal review of The Snow Queen, which was performed at the Seaton Gateway Theatre.
Ian Frederick has written this personal review of The Snow Queen, which was performed at the Seaton Gateway Theatre, from Thursday, February 8 to Saturday, February 11.
I just had to write this to say thank you to Seaton Gateway for putting on a tremendously enjoyable evening’s entertainment.
Thank you to everyone concerned, on and off stage and to Mary Bowles, director and producer.
A lot of hard work must have gone into the show and that was evident to everyone in the audience which was quick to show its appreciation.
Everyone on stage acted, danced and sang with great enthusiasm and joy and it was clear they were singing from the same songbook called ‘This is Showbiz’.
The Snow Queen was icily scary and her manservant with his manic gestures was hilarious. Granny Fanny Annie was terrific and I thought at the time I’ve never seen her in Seaton. (Or perhaps I have).
The dance moves throughout the show were great and well-rehearsed.
The young talent we have in Seaton is extraordinary and there’s no doubt in my mind that quite a few of the youngsters would not be out of place in a London West End musical.
We are a very fortunate community able to enjoy such homegrown talent so congratulations to everyone who took part. You should be very proud of yourselves.
Director Mary Bowles said: “Playing to well deserved ‘sell out’ audiences the Gateway Panto excelled itself this year offering something for everyone! The story, written by Alan Frayn, told of the capture of Kai by the evil Snow Queen and his friends journey through the four seasons on route to her Ice Palace to rescue him.
“The stage was full of colour thanks to professional lighting, moving screen projections and beautiful costumes. The cast was predominantly aged between seven and seventeen plus some more popular seasoned members. Everybody gave their all with strong vocals, energetic moves and heaps of enthusiasm.
“We have received so many compliments. It really makes all the hard work the various teams put into the production so very worth while and me one very contented director.”
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