Goldilocks & The Three Bears
Wednesday 9th December - Thursday 31st December

Goldilocks and The Three Bears

TEESDALE MERCURY - Andrew Harrison

Published: 15th December 2009

A trip to the Georgian Theatre Royal panto is like visiting an old friend, there is a warm friendly welcome, a sense of familiar routine and a few surprises thrown in. Within the intimate surroundings they instantly create the rapport with the audience you have come to expect, this of course is helped as they make eye contact with everyone during the show. You really do believe they are just performing for you.

I have said before that if you are only going to see one panto make it the Richmond panto and this year is no different. George Critchley, writer, producer and director is becoming one of the masters of pantomime. This year in the form of the lesser performed panto Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

The panto opens with Fairy Bowbells, played by Charlotte Chinn, who is soon joined by the evil Baron Bruno Bratwurst, played by James Lavender, where we are left in no doubt whose side we should be on.

The circus is in trouble as the Ringmaster, played by Paul Roberts former lead singer of The Stranglers, his daughter Goldilocks, played by Louise Willoughby and Silly Billy, played by Tony Howes try to save the circus from the evil hands of Baron Bruno Bratwurst and his henchman Igor, played by Michael Lambourne. They of course have a little help from The Three Bears, with plenty of fun on the way.

One of the highlights with Richmond is the ghost scene with that handy little bench. They have this routine down to perfection. Other highlights include the exhausting alternative 12 Days of Christmas and the brilliant dancers provided again by The Heritage School of Dance. It is impossible to pick out any one performance; it is enough to say I could easily watch this show again, with plenty of laughs, fantastic singing and dancing, great interaction with the audience, this panto has something for everyone.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears runs at The Georgian Theatre Royal until 31st December.

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