THE CHRISTMAS SOLDIER
Our panto this year is The Christmas Soldier, directed by Joe Barrett!
BOX RIVER NEWS REVIEW
THE CHRISTMAS SOLDIER
The annual Boxford Drama Group pantomime is always widely anticipated in and around the benefice. This year’s production of Joe Barrett’s “The Christmas Soldier” was no exception. Last performed by the drama group over 20 years ago in 2001, the play had lost none of its shine when it came to entertaining the crowds, as the sell-out performances on the main nights attested!
Addressing the debilitating issue of objectophilia, the plot centred around poor Princess Patsy, unable to fall in love with any real suitors, only her toy soldier, Wellington.
Through house-burglars Ron and Sid (played suspiciously convincingly by Jeremy Morgan and Alison Barlow) we were introduced to a gin-addled tree fairy, a Cornish Pasty-obsessed Santa (played by the real Santa!), a worryingly-convincing Margaret Thatcher pastiche [enough about the pasties already!], a life-sized teddy bear, a floppy rag doll, a macho Action Man and smart toy soldier with a heart (played by newcomer Harry Hodson-Barnes in his exciting BDG stage debut, and Bronwen Cotterell on the Saturday). This was combined with a great range of singalong chart-topping covers with music provided by Sue and Gareth Price.
It was clear that The Christmas Soldier was a panto that the entire cast and crew hugely enjoyed and played with abundant energy and enthusiasm. This shone through to the audience who all had such raucous fun and left having had a fantastic night out.
The next eagerly awaited Boxford Drama Group production is “A Matter of Wife and Death” by Elaine Horne on 16/17/18th March.
