Review of Mother Goose at The Courtyard

We went along to the Courtyard to see this year’s festive panto Mother Goose, and had a fantastic evening crammed full of magic, laughter and fun.  Mother Goose is a wonderful tale of generosity, empathy and kindness triumphing over greed and vanity; the writers, directors and cast absolutely cracked it!

The entire audience was absolutely captivated from the start as the set, lighting and music all created a truly magical scene.

Back for his third year as the pantomime Dame, Dion Davies as Dame Lucy was warmly received like a favourite family member.  Once again he had us all laughing and clapping, and singing along.  One of the joys of a good panto is the enthusiastic audience participation, and this was in abundance throughout the show.  Squire Blackrock (brilliantly played by Geraint Rhys Edwards) was the perfect villain who everyone booed loudly, while his stage daughter Bee Blackrock (Ruby Garforth) was the perfect ‘princess’ figure with such a beautiful voice to match.  Bee’s love interest Bruce (Christopher Twyford) was the ideal match, who proved to also be a highly talented actor and singer.

Fairies Bubble (Georgie Macaskill) and Squeak (Natasha Spencer-Levy) are mischievous and cheeky, and loads of fun.  They both added so much sparkle and joy to the show, and were a great hit particularly with the youngest members of the audience.  The glitter, wings, fun and oodles of energy were captivating.

We all seemed to understand the honks from Cilla the goose, brilliantly played by Madeleine Macmahon, who very cleverly demonstrated how tone and body language can convey it all!

The ensemble is made up of four fantastic dancers, who were all so graceful and elegant, and highly professional.  We were really impressed with their polished performances.  A huge shout out to Ellie Greenway, Connor McGwyre, Hermani Harry, and Ben Maddison – you may well have inspired some budding ballet dancers in the audience.

We absolutely loved this years panto, and highly recommend it as a great festive outing for the whole family.  If you haven’t got your tickets yet, be quick!  When everyone hears how professional a show this one is, you may find they are in short supply.

Mother Goose is playing at The Courtyard in Hereford until January 3rd.  For full details and to book your tickets, visit the website here: www.courtyard.org.uk/events/mothergoose