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LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD
Burley Players
Village Hall
Burley
January 2006

THE question on my mind at the end of this production was “did the Players plant the hecklers, or were some members of the audience simply too vociferous?” Whatever the answer, those frequent interruptions from certain quarters were extremely distracting and, if they were plants, quite unnecessary. Participation is one thing, take-over quite another, so if that werewolf is looking for its next meal…
But I digress. This story of Rosie Rumple – aka Red Riding Hood – and her encounter with a Prince in disguise who also has an unfortunate secret was well told and marked by some lovely performances, not least young Tamsin Fawn as Rosie.
Her mother, Roxie (Colin Hobbs) could have perhaps been a little more outrageous and taken a leaf out of the book of Grannie Grabbit (Chris Duell), who more than filled the stage with her personality, as did Paul Berry as Rosie’s brother, Reggie. Laura Sills (Prince Rupert) had a pleasing personality, while John West (Count De Cash) and Wayne Priestley (Cringe) held the audience in the palms of their hands. And I loved Richard Pratt’s delightfully pompous valet, Sternum.
The chorus work was good too, on the whole, although one or two of the junior chorus looked bored to tears. Now, about that wolf’s meal…

Linda Kirkman
Courtesy of the Bournemouth Daily Echo


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