RICHARD PARR Fakenham Community Centre

RICHARD PARR

> Fakenham Community Centre

And now, as they say, for something completely different.

FALDOS (the Fakenham and District Light Operatic Society) have moved away from traditional panto for their seasonal offering and opted for a script by the famous Chicken Shed Theatre Company.

Whether moving away from the more familiar traditional formula is the right decision remains to be seen in audience numbers, but at Tuesday's opening night there were a few gremlins in the technical department, leading to a delayed start and a completely failed hi-tech screen image sequence.

It all seemed rather a mish-mash to me as we followed the children (a well-rehearsed group) on their magical journey on a flying sofa that eventually leads them to Snow Land and thawing the icy Queen's heart.

There were some notable performances – Jackie Overton as Aunt, Anthony Boesen and Ben Francis as the camp Ugly Sisters, Tony Lord as Bob Cratchit and Linda Tree's Mrs Cratchit. Clair Reynolds, as the Snow Queen, had a strong singing voice, but the songs were unmemorable.

The show is on at the community centre until Saturday, December 11, with performances that day at 11am, 2.30pm and at 7.30pm.