Malice? Malice? Who the...?

Malice? Malice? Who the...?

St Matthew's church hall on the Shankill Road was packed to the rafters for the Shankill Players' third annual pantomime, Sleeping Beauty.  This wonderful script from Mark McClean featured a guest appearance from the little known boy band Take This, an outing from the ghostbusters and some outrageous ad-libs.  I got a strong impression that the Players are unhappy at being largely ignored by their own local paper but was surprised and delighted when the pantomime dame gave your own Carrick Biz a favourable plug.

  The players struggled for a bit against a hired sound system that seemed to have a mind of its own.  When they realised that this was going to be a losing battle they just put more effort into their performances.  It was a reasonably small hall and not too difficult to hear everything from my seat near the back.

  The Shankill Players just get better and better. The sets have improved. The costumes are dazzling and the script is electric.  For such a small amateur dramatic group this is quite an achievement.

  For me, the show was stolen by Nichola Price, a new member of the players.  She excelled as Malice, the petulant evil fairy who took vengeance on the Sleeping Beauty because she hadn't been invited to a royal birthday party. Mark McClean camped things up in high style as the pantomime dame, Molly Coddle. Lynda Hastings kept the audience participation up to speed as Jack and Julie-Ann McMillan provided comic relief as the cook. 

  A neighbour of mine took her seven-year-old daughter to see this show the next night: the child's first ever panto. She loved every minute of it; booing the villainous Malice, cheering on the handsome prince and grabbing out for the sweeties distributed to younger members of the audience by Molly.  Long may such productions continue and long may the Shankill Players prosper.  Let's hope they can afford their own sound system in time for their next production.

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