SCAMPS Pantomime- Chichester Observer- Friday 7th January 1966

ONE OF THE BEST SHOWS SINCE 1950. Selsey Comedy and Musical Productions Christmas Show, "The House That Jack Built", had everything. There was excellent singing and delightful dancing, plus the good humour and burlesque associated with the traditional pantomime to make it one of the Society's most successful shows since 1950. The scenery painted by John Coe gave a professional finish to the production, which attracted large audiences at each of the performances with every seat sold for the final one tomorrow evening. More than 100 costumes were specially designed by the wardrobe mistress Phyllis May, who started work on them last spring, and those made for the Store of Malt and gipsy encampment dance scenes were particularly effective. The special materials from which the costumes had been made glowed vividly against the dark background as the dancers moved about the stage, Demon Rat and his followers looking truly fearsome, with huge dusks gleaming against their black masks. Fine Dancing. A great deal of attention had also been paid to the dancing by the two choreographers, Beryl Lindsay, who also danced the leading roles, and Olive Bedells, and the result was quite striking, adding considerably to the success of the production. The large cast included several newcomers who proved to be a great asset to the company. These included Pauline Grainger and Kay Standring, charming choices for Jack and his sweetheart, Jill, and their voices blended in their duets together, which reached an unusually high standard for an amateur production of this kind. Ralph Winslade played the dame, Mother Hubbard, with the robust knockabout cheerfulness which the part demands, and he was ably assisted by Olive Bedells in the character role of Wee Willie Winkie. Jan Hobbs, the daughter of Olive Bedells, gave good support as the shopkeeper, Lucy Locket. In addition to being assistant producer, Barry Lindsay also gave an excellent performance as the evil Squire Grabitt of Fleece-Um-Hall, whose machinations against his charming ward, Jill, are eventually circumvented by Jack. no pantomime would be complete without a comic animal, and Connie, the cow now with a crumpled horn, was acted with considerable agility and humour by Stella Wiseman and Sally Hope. Praise for chorus. In shows of this kind the chorus is often taken for granted, but the performers deserve a special word of praise. Their excellent dancing, in particular, showed that they had worked hard at rehearsal.