“Encore Theatre Company like to do pantomimes with a difference and this one was no exception with several new roles introduced into the plot. This was indeed a very big pantomime with 17 roles to be produced it must have been a herculean task to direct and costume. I did enjoy Vikki Vaughan (Aladdin) I felt she acted with great confidence and was very convincing. Trevor Jones (Abanazer) gave a good performance as the evil magician but did not frighten the children as some I have seen. Gary Holmes (Widow Twanky) loves playing Dame roles he must have covered every inch of the stage in this panto. I am sure you will forgive me if I do not mention all the cast sufice to say there were many strong performances. The panto I felt was a little 'bitty' which was inevitable with such a long cast list but there was much humour in the production."Noel G Rigg, NODA Representative
“Well done everyone - a fun night!!” Sue Phillips
“Loved it!” Vanessa Clarkson
“Really, really enjoyed the show - well done everyone.” Teri Aldous
"We loved it, adults and children alike...thank you All..x!" Jan Sharp
"Well done Encore, fabulous as always!" Shirley Bell
"Took my grandson to see Aladdin at Castleford with the great Encore Theatre Company - he LOVED it!. He did the"its behind you" shouted at the baddies and rushed on stage to sing. Lovely to see a traditional pantomime through the eyes of a child. Absolute magic!" Di Salama
“Hi everyone in ETC.
Thank you for the warm welcome you extended to me and the family when we came to see Saturday’s performance of Carole’s play. We were made to feel very special and enjoyed talking to several members FoH. The Director and cast presented an excellent production - as the laughter confirmed. Having directed the first production several years ago, it was a particular delight for me to see the show again. It does work extremely well. We all miss Carole terribly, but the evening at the theatre with your company showed what a fine legacy of writing Carole has left us. Watching the show brought great comfort to us all.
Thank you very much" Alan Tricker
“It was really good, funny and well put together xx” Jayne Whittaker
“We really enjoyed the show - haven’t laughed as much in a long time x” Nicola Rowett
“What a fab performance tonight. Enjoyed it so much. Well done to everyone involved x” Katy Earnshaw
"Brilliant comedy!" Phyllis Harvey
"Went first night - loved it x" Caroline Reynolds
"With the original script written by Bob Carlton - helped very much by one written earlier by William Shakespeare as “The Tempest” - and full of favourite songs from the 1950s and 60s this truly is the musical that Shakespeare never quite wrote. Before the show began audience were invited to take their seats for the flight on board the Intergalatic Starship ‘Albatross’ and given instructions as to what to do if the spaceship needed to reverse polarity in time of severe trouble.
The uniformed crew, including of course a cook (Lee Gray) aboard this totally realistic spaceship (superb video screens providing the surrounding set) blasted off under the command of all round good guy pipe-smoking Captain Tempest (Dale Vaughan) along with the somewhat mysterious white-coated and bespectacled Science Officer Gloria (Eleanor Aldous). These two were soon arguing in song about it being ‘A Man’s World’- the first of the many familiar songs which somehow fitted into the plot lines seamlessly. The spaceship ran into a firestorm (‘Great Balls of Fire’) and made an emergency landing on the uncharted planet D’Illyria, whose only residents were the crazy scientist Doctor Prospero (Paul Barron) along with his daughter Miranda (Vicky Vaughan) and their robot Aerial (Becci Calvert).
Thus the scene was set for a battle between good and evil, love and disappointment, all using the words of The Bard (with some very clever puns) and the familiar tunes the audience know and love. Of course there was a problem with the Spaceship, and of course the audience needed to help the crew by “reversing polarity” as they’d been taught before the flight took off – it’s all part of the fun of this great musical.
This production, superbly imagined and directed by Andy Lunn, is a terrific evening’s entertainment. He is very lucky to have a very talented cast, the acting and singing by Eleanor Aldous as Gloria and Paul Barron (Doctor Prospero) was particularly convincing, their rendition of ‘Go Now’ particularly drawing out the emotion of the plot line. Real life husband and wife Vicky Vaughan as Miranda and Dale Vaughan as The Captain provided on-point vocals, especially in ‘The Young Ones,’ and possibly the longest stage kiss I have ever seen! As Cookie, whose love for Miranda was thwarted, Lee Gray gave a great rendition of ‘She’s not There’ – which included a rousing guitar solo by Stella Midgley – while his heart was breaking because Miranda had fallen for Captain Tempest – surely the original star-crossed lovers.
Somewhere in the set was hidden a superb live six piece band, under the direction of Sarah Crowley, who brought all the music to life. The singing – solos, duets and harmonies were all executed with precision and clearly the performers were enjoying themselves. The sound, light, costume and attention to detail in this production is so professional, the use of the video screens to convey the spaceship and also what was going on outside in space, is totally convincing. Special mention to the ensemble crew members who had a hard task as they were hardly ever off stage, but were perfect in providing backing vocals and dance moves that gave energy and texture to the musical numbers. Similarly, how Aerial (Becci Calvert) the robot managed to stay on her Segway board and manoeuvre herself around the stage is a complete mystery – her perfect balance made it look so easy.
The finale was a real ‘blast from the past’ by the whole cast and with various cast members taking the vocal lead – Dale Vaughan’s ‘Heard it Through the Grapevine,’ was just the right warm-up for Gloria/Eleanor Aldous’s version of ‘Shout,’ which was successful at getting the audience to join in, just superb. Once again Encore Theatre Company have brought us a West-End quality evening’s entertainment which is absolutely the one space flight that you really don’t want to miss. Get your tickets for the flight of your life – you won’t regret a single minute of the journey." Ann Marie Gatford
“Went to see Return of the Forbidden Planet tonight, what a spectacular performance by all, the scenery was fantastic, the cast were superb and the band and music outstanding! A must see! There are few shows of Encore that I miss and they never disappoint. Well done everyone! Really loved it :)” Helen Easterby
“Went to see 'Return to The Forbidden Planet' tonight and had a fabulous time. I was amazed by the effects and effort that was put into this show and impressed by the voices of the cast! thank you for a great evening I cannot wait to attend the next show! ” Vicki Vondergeist
“Another excellent performance from Encore. I came to watch last night with my Mum & Kids, 3 generations really enjoyed it. Fantastic singing too. Well done to all. Looking forward to the next one” Beth Slater
“Bravo to all cast and crew and band Encore never cease to amaze me you have a fantastic theatre company, keep up the good work and see you next year for your next show” Michael Madden
“Amazing show, back again for another great night tonight and can’t wait” Teri Aldous
“Well done everyone. Brilliant show that would stand up anywhere. So professional”. Phylis Harvey
“Been to see the show tonight, it was brilliant from the acting to the singers, better than some West End shows we’ve seen, well done everyone.”. Vanessa Clarkson
“Huge well done to everyone involved in the production of Peter Pan.
It must take forever to write, to have that much detail and keeping it up to date and relevant.
Keep up the good work guys” Amy Becca
“Amazing tonight at Peter Pan Castleford, thank you so much and we will see you next year! Brilliant all of you xxx” Kelly Marie Walker
“Always have amazing pantos, we go every year and are never disappointed” Katy Baker
“Great evening seeing Peter Pan, one can see how much effort went into producing a hilarious interpretation of the story! Well done to everyone involved.” Adrian Peaty
“Wow Wow WOWWWWWW Amazing so proud of you all xxx Cannot wait to see it again on Saturday xxx” Lisa Nicholson
“Saw Peter pan on Thursday, brilliant performance and very professional. Will be back next year”. Simon Christopher Hall
“Just come home from Peter pan and was absolutely amazing, we had children from 3 - 7 years old that all loved it, just as much as us adults, well done to all involved, same time next year”. Lisa Dove
“Came to see peter pan last night and it was absolutely amazing, we loved every minute and had us all laughing from start to finish. brilliant show. we are looking forward to next year already.” Stephanie Judd
“Totally brilliant shows at great prices, comfortable seating and so well run and organised. @casphoenix Just got home after a truly brilliant night and wonderful performance of Peter Pan. My granddaughter was spellbound and we had a brilliant night. Yes Nana Look at you! Whit woo” Andy Kelly
"There was so much to admire in this production of Made In Dagenham. The casting was very strong in all roles and the show has a very compelling storyline about the rights of Ford Motor Company sewing machinists to fight for equal pay and strike actions in 1968 and the very serious tensions that it created amongst workers and family relationships.
I feel that all the cast really got very motivated by this storyline which they all performed with great conviction.
So many of the cast deserve mentions so I hope they will forgive me if I just mention two or three. Eleanor Aldous (Rita O'Grady) one of the machinists gave a most confident performance in both singing and acting. Lee Gray (Eddie O'Grady) the long suffering husband who finally gave up under the pressure his wife's actions were putting the family under also displayed a fine singing voice and some super acting qualities. The five other machinists Beryl (Alex Bush) Cass (Alice Fearnley) Clare (Clare Heins) Sandra (Sophie Moss) and Emma (Nicole Walton-Turek) all contributed with great style and conviction.
The most musical number in the show is without doubt the final number 'Stand Up' it ended the show in great style. Without question the finest feature of this production was the fantastic stage settings created by the Video/AV and Videography perhaps the best I have witnessed as a Rep for the last thirty years. Congratulations to the team who organised it. A fine night's entertainment for us all to enjoy."
Noel G Rigg, NODA Representative
"Absolutely brilliant performances by everyone on stage. The set was very cleverly conceived by using large video screens, this must have taken a good number of hours to perfect it and perfect it was. Massive congratulations to everyone at Encore."
Les Smith, NODA Regional Councillor
"We went to see the show last night, it was great!!! A very talented group enjoyed every minute of it. Never seen work from this company before but will look out for them again. Well done!" Maureen Moran
"Loved every moment - cast were superb, set innovative and costumes spot on for the era. This should be performed in York or Leeds - it’s certainly professional enough. Fabulous show" Teri Aldous
"A triumph, so uplifting and well performed. Totally bloody brilliant! Well done to everyone" Kerry Chapman
"Four of us came on Saturday night.We all enjoyed every facet of your wonderful production.The main characters casting,support casting,musical backing,modern technology scenery.At the close I turned to the young lady sat next to me and said that I felt “Drained”, as though I had been on a wonderful entertaining happy/sad journey.We send our congratulations to EVERYONE involved for giving us such a fantastic evening’s entertainment.You should all be very proud!" Gordon Merrick
"One of the best, perhaps the best performance that I have seen from an amateur theatre group. Amateur in name only; professional in every other way We saw JCS last year, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I think Made in Dagenham has just blown that out of the water! What an excellent show with fantastic performances by all. There were some very moving scenes, interspersed with plenty of comedy. The final scene was very emotional, and the staging was also spot on. Well done everyone!." Peter Barker
"The best performance ever myself and my girls attended the Saturday evening performance and it was amazing a mix of laughter and amazing vocals by all performers truly professional in every way carnt wait for the next one xxx well done all" Lindsay Hughes
"Absolutely amazing! Loved, loved, loved made in Dagenham. A show filled with talented individuals. Fantastic!" Donna Berry
"Absolutely fantastic show, great storyline, brilliant vocals, good acting, and a superb cast! Well done everyone." Anita Jane
"Wonderful show , had a really lovely evening , my Husband stated it was his favourite show by the Encore Theatre Company , Thank you and well done to every member of the cast." Sandra Turner
"Wow! What an incredible performance of Made in Dagenham! It was wonderful casting with particularly fabulous performances from Eleanor Aldous and Bev Maher. I laughed, cried and left feeling inspired. Congratulations to all involved." Rebecca Threapleton
"A piece of recent history set to music and song and brought convincingly to life by Encore Theatre Company in a performance which brought London’s West End to Castleford. With a strong cast, great musical numbers and a superb script with witty dialogue containing humour and lump-in-throat pathos the story unfolds as we meet Rita and her friends, Eddie her husband and the workers at the car plant. The show is based on the true events of 50 years ago when women machinists at the Ford Motor Company’s factory in Dagenham brought the factory to a standstill and won their fight to get equal pay for women. Rita O’Grady (stunningly portrayed by Eleanor Aldous) discovers that female machinists jobs have been reclassified as unskilled, downgraded from semi-skilled, and when friendly union shop steward Monty (Richard Goodall) tells her that it isn’t about skills but because they are WOMEN Rita decides to call a strike. Their actions are not always popular with their menfolk as the American owners lay off the male workforce including Eddie (a powerful performance from Lee Gray as Rita’s husband) as without the seat covers that the girls make the cars can’t continue down the production line. Rita and her fellow machinists – a strong and feisty bunch of ladies (Alex Bush – who made swearing into an art form as Beryl, Alice Fearnley as Cass, Clare Heins as Clare, Sophie Moss as Sandra and Nicole Walton-Turek as Emma) - continue their fight in order to get the wage they’re entitled to. With no money coming in marriages – including Rita’s, as Eddie has taken the children and gone back to live at his mother’s – are falling apart and friendships are tested to the limit when Sandra takes a job ‘promoting’ the new Cortina for £50.
The cause leads them and their strike action all the way to Government and Downing Street and to the Employment Secretary Barbara Castle (great characterisation from Bev Maher) and Prime Minister Harold Wilson (Ralph Jagger). Barbara Castle tells Rita to speak at the Trade Union Congress - aided and abetted by the Plant Manager’s wife Lisa (Vikki Vaughan) – and her argument wins over the TUC who vote for equal pay. The Government and the TUC support Rita and her movement and Ford has to back down and pay the female machinists the same rate as the men. Eventually Eddie realises that Rita’s fight for equality is right and is proud of her and her achievements. As they are reconciled, the girls go back to work and in 1970 the government of the day passed the Equal Pay Act, thanks to Rita O’Grady and her army of supporters throughout the country.
It is clear that everyone involved has worked very hard to make this musical a rousing success; even those in smaller roles have played their parts convincingly. This show had a large cast and the singing, music, movement and songs were all outstanding. Special mention must be given to Rita and Eddie O’Grady (Eleanor Aldous and Lee Gray) who held the audience’s attention throughout with their wonderful portrayals of two complex characters following their heads while their hearts were breaking. The attention to detail throughout the show, especially in the 1960’s costumes and the use of ‘old’ photos and advertising material, was excellent. The innovative use of ‘digital scenery’ really brought the stage to life took us all right into the factory, government, and to the TUC at Eastbourne. I believe there are still some tickets available for the evening shows on 7,8 and 9 June (some seats have been added) so hurry on down to see this wonderful musical – you won’t see a better show this summer".
Anne Marie Gatford
"This brand new pantomime written for ETC by Paul Barron was a new one for me with a somewhat different kind of story from the usual story lines calling for far more acting by the principals than in most pantomimes.
The cast was very strong in all the principal roles. Anton Principal Boy (Eleanor Aldous) gave a most assured acting and singing performance in a sort of Robin Hood style. Beatrice the Nanny (Paul Barron) the Dame role gave a most confident performance and very professional approach his humour was perhaps a little too clever for some children. Rapunzel (Lois Elsdon) was a most charming Principal Girl with just the right kind of style for the role with some good singing and acting. Sven (Lee Gray) was fine in the part as Anton's sidekick he had the audience participation going all the time as did Ed and Shoulders (Alex Bush) and (Sarah Clarkson) they worked tirelessly through the performance.
The most eyecatching performance was Seymour Moriarty (Trevor Jones) the vile villain he had a very strong commanding voice with very good diction and played the entire performance bent down on his knees with two small false legs hanging in front from his waist it was most effective. The other small parts were all played with confidence but the production would have been enhanced with a little more scenery." Noel G. Rigg, NODA Representative
"Loved every minute, we attended the 1pm showing, my daughter was still singing at bedtime, thanks for giving her special memories xx" Debra Thomas
"Had a great time. Brilliant" Lorraine Hague
"Had a great time at the afternoon showing, amazing panto as always, great performance, full of fun and laughs, massive well done to you all" Katy Baker
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