Tintinhull bring the panto season to a close in fine style

By Sam Allen

If we gave out awards for Best Audience, then the crowd at Tintinhull would most certainly be in the running! What a great time they were having, and what a supportive bunch. But, of course, great crowds are created by great performances and this, the twenty-second and final show of the season, was a show blessed by some fine, experienced performers as well as some very cute and talented novices in the form of the seven dwarfs. Because yes, Tintinhull gave us our fifth Snow White of the season!

It was great to end this year’s run with a truly traditional pantomime. Writer James Barry gave us a plethora of great gags in addition to old favourite pantomime routines like the slapstick kitchen scene, the tried and trusted ‘behind you’ sequence and, of course, the sing-along community song. There was plenty of audience interaction and the more experienced cast members showed the deftness in their craft by teasing every sinew of every reaction from the great crowd. That ability to control a crowd is a learned art that is unique to the pantomime genre and it is one of the reasons why panto is so special and so beloved.

Pantomime is nothing without great teamwork and the long list of production team credits in the programme (which was given out free to everyone) is a reflection of the great teamwork that is need to create the costumes, make up, lighting, and set as well as the musical accompaniment and the great front-of-house support.

It was great for me to finish this year’s season on a high and we went home with a smile on our faces. Thanks to everyone at Tintinhull.

And, by the way, if we gave out awards for the Longest Raffle of the Year, then Tintinhull would be in the running for that too!