Reviewed by Kelly Salathiel
I don't often venture out to watch pantomimes because, to be honest, they aren't really my thing. It's rare to find a panto that really captures me with a good story and characters to back it up. Saying that, I ventured to DADAA in Fremantle over the weekend with my 10-year-old son to see the UWA Pantomime Society's "Goldilocks and the Three Wishes" for Fringe World 2024.
Goldilocks is a venture into the traditional pantomime, with audience participation encouraged, including the traditional 'he's behind you' and calling out the bad guys. The storyline itself is relatively simple, which is good for younger audience members to be able to follow, the town where Goldilocks (India Whitesmith) lives is broke and in order to get money her father Mayor Bumble (Ethan Dal Molin) has promised her hand to Randy Rumbleguts (Thomas Newman). Throw in some bumbling town guards (Charlotte Semmens and Artemis Lockyer) and a forest spirit named Arnold (Ethan Kinnaird) and you have a recipe for a good time.
Now like I said this is a traditional pantomime, and I give credit to all cast members for tackling all the audience threw at them, although there were obviously unexpected moments that did show on some cast members' faces. I'm not sure if it was a directorial choice or cast inexperience but many cast members directed their lines directly to the audience, when they should have been talking to a character standing next to them, something to consider for the future. Special mention goes to Thomas Newman as Randy who remained in character and expertly handled his moment meeting another character when none of the audience helped out this 'bad guy' by announcing 'he's behind you' as he had no doubt expected.
Being the opening show of their run, hiccups are to be expected. There were some sound and lighting queues that were slightly off in terms of timing. Although this did create a funny moment with Artemis and a flamingo. Some of the scene changes also did feel a little clunky and long, something that may improve in time.
My son is usually quiet during theatre shows, but I did catch him laughing along a couple of times, and I did also see other children in the audience laughing along and obviously having a good time. Being only an hour long, it should appeal to all levels of theatre lover, big and small. Well done to all involved.
Reviewer Note: Kelly has previously worked with the UWA Pantomime Society as a performer in 2022. Tickets for this review were provided by the theatre company.
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