TOOELE — The Panto Theatre brings a different theatre option to Utah. British Pantomime is a lively, interactive, musical comedy that is traditionally performed around Christmas time in the UK. The shows are typically family friendly and encourage the audience to boo and cheer on the performers, similar to melodramas here in the United States. The shows frequently tell classic fairy tale stories with stock characters of heroes, damsels, and villians. Currently, the Panto Theatre is touring their production of Cinderella by John Yates and directed by Jords Shami in Tooele, Salt Lake City, and Provo. I had the opportunity to attend their first tour performance in Tooele.
One key stock character in British pantomime is the dame, an older female character played by a male. In this production the Dame, Mrs. Beeton, was played by Jords Shami in an outrageous thick grey blue yarn wig (designed by Jords Shami and Chalese Craig) with a cupcake for an accessory. Mrs. Beeton is the cook for the royal palace and the connecting link between the palace and Cinder’s home. Shami was definitely the driving force in this production with clever comedic timing and energy that drew in the audience and kept the show rolling forward. His physical comedy, especially while dancing, had many in the audience, myself included, belly laughing.
Annalyce Chandler played Cinderella and was by far the strongest singer in the cast. She had a cheery disposition, and her performance of “If They Could See Me Now” was a highlight. She could certainly sing out loud and clear; she even managed to stay strong when others around her were off key. Not all of the performers were strong singers, but the style of theatre and the character personalities provided leeway for voices still growing in their singing abilities but strong in their acting abilities.
Camille Perkins played Buttons and Dandini the Prince’s squire. She did an excellent job at making the characters distinct. Buttons was a lovable and bumbling male servant whose loyalty keeps him working alongside best friend, Cinderella. Perkin’s embraces a mischievous side as Buttons keeps the audience shouting, “Behind you!” and adds amply to chaotic scenes. Perkins was also great at interacting and engaging with the audience. My favorite line of the night was when Perkins, as Dandini, replies to the Prince’s complaints about his parents wanting him to marry and have grandchildren.
The use of puppets was a great and unexpected way to expand the cast. When the queen hand puppet first popped out I was slightly confused. In contrast to all of the fun costumes for the cast designed by Jords Shami and Chalese Craig, I felt the queen and king puppets could have used crowns helping identify them as royalty. Instead, they felt like random puppets from a prop closet, but their use as puppets worked well. The ugly stepsister puppets fitted right on to their operators, and used the operators’ legs as the legs to the puppets. Lizzy Walk and Casey Best did excellent jobs in all three of the side by side roles of stepsisters, princesses, and urchins. As the urchins, they performed while sitting on rolling stools to make them appear shorter. As the princesses, their dancing was silly and fun wavering from ballet to flossing.
With a small cast and quick transitions between characters, the variety of methods used for cast members playing multiple characters was strong. All of the cast members playing multiple roles did a fantastic job keeping their characters distinct from each other. The cast also served as crew as they changed out the backdrops (designed by Jords Shami) as only their characters could, sometime even mixing up panels on purpose.
The technical elements of this production are simple enough to allow this production to easily set up in a variety of traditional and found spaces. The production could easily be performed in elementary schools as well as a traditional stage. The set was composed of different background fabric panels hooked to black screens. The painting style was colorful and childlike, creating an fun environment to be silly in. The props, such as the pumpkins were colorful and fun.
Even after the show ended the cast continued to interact with audience members. I watched as Shami posed for a picture with a couple of young children and Chandler allowed a couple of young girls to touch the skirt of her ballgown. Cast members remained in character as they continued to interact with the audience. They were committed to their roles.
This was show was very accessible to audiences of all ages and has a variety of pop culture references throughout the show. The atmosphere was inviting, relaxed, and welcoming. It was enjoyable to be encouraged to sing along, boo the villain, and cheer for favorite characters. This isn’t dry or stuffy theatre. It’s silly and fun and it introduces a unique experience, that of British pantomime, to audiences here in Utah. If you are able to catch a performance be sure to take a friend or a child to be silly with. The production is great for anyone who can handle two hours of chaos, silliness, and slapstick comedy. The production is fun, the cast is great, and this is one show where the audience adds to the fun of the night.
MORE INFO: Cinderella produced by the Panto Theatre plays at the Ritz Theatre in Tooele on Sept. 1st and October 2nd; at the Wasatch Theatre in SLC on Sept. 11th and 12th; and at The Hive Collaborative in Provo on October 3rd and 29th. Performances are at 7:30pm and tickets are $10 for ages 4 to adult, $3 for ages 2-3, and under 2 are free. Group discounts are available. To learn more visit https://www.thepantotheatre.com/
