Cinderella pantomime by Prudhoe's Dragon Tale Theatre Group

It has been inspirational to see how this group has progressed over the last 25 years and that it is still in excellent form was well evidenced by the very high standard of its 2024 pantomime, Cinderella, written by Suzan Holder and presented at Highfield Middle School from Wednesday, October 30 to Saturday, November 2. 

The only performance which was not completely sold out was the one on Thursday evening (Halloween) and even for this performance, which was the one that I attended, there was only a very small number of unsold seats. 

READ MORE: Woman opens paint splatter and rage room in Prudhoe

It was good during the period of my attendance to hear so many appreciative comments from audience members with regard to so many varied aspects of the show.

The group first tackled the Cinderella story way back in 2005 and several group members were still present in 2024 but this was a very different show from the one staged 19 years ago.

Of course all the usual ingredients of a typical pantomime were there, including an excellent script, many of the usual stock characters and enough examples of oh yes it is/oh no it isn’t and it’s behind you to keep everyone present happy.

Cate Wootton played the part of Cinderella (Image: Supplied) I simply don’t have enough space to mention by name everyone who deserves it. So please accept my apologies if your name isn’t included here. This does not for a moment imply any lack of appreciation of your role.

What took my breath away was the manner in which so many elements of drama, music, dance etc were all brought together so seamlessly, which completely belies the many hours of sheer hard work which this must have entailed. 

It was equally important for those on stage to get timings right and remember to act all the time, even when characters had nothing very specific to do, and this was achieved par excellence. Also very impressive was the way in which some of the actors had very different types of characters to play than those with whom they had been associated in previous Dragon Tale productions but dealt with this challenge very effectively. 

The production of Cinderella (Image: Supplied) If one looks at individual performances, it needs to be noted that, for very good operational reasons, a few parts were played by different actors in different performances during the week and what I have written here relates to what was what at the performance which I attended.

The part of Cinderella was played by Cate Wootton, who brought out all the yearning, sadness and romance relating to the part. One so much wished her to have the happy ending which eventually came her way. The Fairy Godmother, as played by Hayley Kock, was as kindly as one could wish but did not overlook the comedic potential of the role. 

Cinderella’s father and stepmother, Baron and Lady Hardup, were played very effectively by Ray Moore and Lee Robinson. The Baron’s essential kindness shone through, as did the underlying villainy of his wife. Ben Rutherford-Orrock and Louis Popov were a first-time team-up as the Ugly Sisters, yet played together extremely easily, in wonderfully camp performances, with superb comic timing.

One of the busiest characters outside Cinderella’s immediate family is Buttons the Butler, played by Fintan Ellender with tremendous energy and style but with just the right note of wistfulness below the surface. His assured handling of the audience participation section was a joy, as was his continuing banter with audience member Stuart.

Turning to the Charming family, Mac Toal played the role of the Prince with complete conviction and understanding of the role’s prominence. It is good, by the way, to see a second generation of the Toal family coming forward in the group. Mac’s real-life mum Fiona played his character’s mother, Queen Charming, along with Daniel Gowens, as the King.  They brought so much charm to their roles and their delightful revival of Maurice Chevalier and Hermione Gingold’s duet, I Remember It Well, was for me one of the highlights of the show. In addition, Peter McKay, always a welcome presence on a stage, gave excellent comedic support as the Prince’s servant Dandini.

I simply can’t mention all the smaller parts but Stuart Mould struck a commanding presence as the Town Crier and Aaron Graves lent his usual visual comedy skills as the Treacle Monster.

Overseeing all the action were director Stu Rutherford-Orrock and choreographer Fiona Henderson, who had evidently kept everyone encouraged and motivated throughout the whole process. The results spoke for themselves.

In addition to those taking part onstage, many others helped make the show such a success. 

These included, in no particular order, those who took responsibility for the music (the small ensemble, directed by Bethany Fisher, handled a varied range of musical items extremely effectively), sound, lighting, make-up, wardrobe, set design, scenery/props, setting up and down and managing the stage and hall as a whole, front of house, website maintenance, designing and printing posters, selling tickets, transport, catering, use of social media, design and production of programmes, photography and videography, as well as the many jobs needed to comply with the law, including but not restricted to registration and chaperoning. All who worked on these tasks did their jobs thoroughly and made a great contribution to the overall success.

Dragon Tale is a member of the National Operatic and Dramatic Association (NODA) and it was good to hear that on Saturday evening Stu Rutherford-Orrock presented 10-year service awards to Daniel Gowens and Fiona Toal. 

In addition Lorraine Lathan was presented with the Group’s first-ever award for 25 years service.  

It was a joy to see this group in action once again and I look forward to finding out what next year’s production will be.