Welcome to Compton Little Theatre

Established in 1982

CLT extends a ‘huge thanks’ to everyone who joined its AGM and social event on Thursday 21 March and is looking forward to another successful year for CLT. Auditions for CLT’s next dinner drama (Thursday 10 to Saturday 12 October) will be held on Sunday 30 June. Many of you will be very happy to know that CLT will once again be running the Human Fruit Machine at the Fete. Come along, join in the fun and find out more about what we have planned for 2024. We are always on the lookout for enthusiastic volunteers to join us - either as committee members or ad hoc help on productions. This could be acting, directing, stage management, props, costume, make-up, front of house, etc. If you would like to be kept up to date with our plans, please sign up to be on our mailing list. Email committee@comptonlittletheatre.org.uk.

Review of Panto- Sleeping Beauty

Review of Compton Little Theatre’s Sleeping Beauty A super moment in the first half was the appearance of the junior chorus and their rendition of ‘Food Glorious Food’, with altered lyrics. Another high point was Witless Will’s ever longer monologue about buying spicy sausages from Sue at Sainsburys. An amazing feat, goodness knows how long it took him to perfect it! Henry Moore must be congratulated on his whole performance throughout. My young reviewers (grandchildren) thought he was the Bees Knees. The sister fairies, Meadowblossom (Jayne Atkinson) and Nightshade (Gemma Taylor) were well balanced, with Nightshade being suitably scary with her wide sweeping gestures and evil glare, and Meadowblossom reassuringly conveying that all would be well in the end. Hugo Wilson as Bettie Biscuits was a great Dame, doing all the outrageous things Dames do with great aplomb. The two guards, Spit and Polish, who flunked it by allowing Nightshade to enter the palace and place her curse on Princess Aurora, were ably played by Amy Aiello and Gayle Lafone. They were demoted to cleaners, then later on promoted to knights due to their brave actions. There was a funny kitchen scene with the funky and faulty ice-cream machine. Whichever way it was tried, wherever people stood, it was always poor Will who got covered in ice-cream. At the party to celebrate Princess Aurora’s birthday, Prince Gideon (Isabel Moore) with his feisty cousin Lady Jamie (Millie Ayshford) appeared. Jamie caught the attention of Witless Will. The second half was faster paced, with more action to excite the young audience. Nightshade put a love potion spell on Prince Gideon, and spirited him off to her forest lair, so that he would fall in love with her as the first person he espied on waking. This duly came to pass, and the besotted Gideon then took over Spineless’s role, waiting on Nightshade hand and foot, while the doughty but dim Spineless (Mandy Scully) was capturing the pursuers from the palace, dressed up as a wolf. The pursuers, Meadowblossom, Spit and Polish, got picked off one by one, and imprisoned at Nightshade’s lair, leaving poor Betty Biscuits all alone and desperate. Nightshade had warned of the dragon Ignacio who lived in the forest and he suddenly appeared. Kevin Drury was absolutely splendid as the dragon, who turned out not to be so scary as Nightshade had warned. He preferred to sing and dance, rather than fight, as we discovered when Will and Jamie appeared, also on the hunt for Prince Gideon. When a duel between him and the highly skilful swordsman Lady Jamie was mooted, he suggested a dance-off with Will, which both ‘combatants’ performed with great energy and skill. Eventually the prince was found, he was rescued from the spell, kissed, woke and fell in love with the Princess. The dragon was smitten with Betty Biscuits, and Will with Jamie, and vice versa of course. All ended happily ever after with the grand finale to the sound of Wham’s ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go’. Pauline Surrey, NODA rep

Compton Little Theatre Quiz

About CLT

Welcome to Compton Little Theatre, based in Compton Village, Surrey.  We are a friendly, family based group with high standards in all aspects of our very professional productions.  We were established in 1982 by a group of enthusiastic actors, many of whom are still involved in some shape or form.

We aim for three productions a year, a musical or panto in January, a Summer play and a comedy dinner/drama in the Autumn.

We are always looking for new talent in any area; acting, directing, costumes, make-up, back stage crew, front of house.  So take a look around and contact us

If you would like to receive our monthly newsletter please click here:

ROBIN HOOD Review

This was a jolly and lively retelling of the tale of Robin Hood and his Merry Men. The panto was written by Frazer Woodhams and Fred Pollard, who played Nanny Fanny and Prince John respectively — their jokes were very funny! There is nothing quite like panto in a village hall, and Compton’s is a fine example, with a separate bar and raised seating at the back. The rear entrance allowed performers to process through to the stage and be right among the audience. Lighting was used effectively throughout and sound was good. Costumes were excellent, with especially fine headgear. The Prince’s striking blue sparkly tights and Will Scarlett’s splendidly scarlet outfit stay in my mind. The heralds, the villagers, the archers, indeed everyone, looked the part — a great effort from the costume department. The creations sported by Nanny Fanny, and they were many, each one more spectacular than the last, were a triumph! That includes the hair and makeup – however did she manage to get those eyelashes on? Friar Tuck deserves a mention, as he had his hair especially cut for the show in order to raise money for a charity. Compton Little Theatre is very lucky to have a great set painter in Pat Williams. The forest set was effective, with rocks to hide behind and a trapdoor to hide things in. The Sheriff’s office was also great, with various colourful wall hangings, and later, in the Hall, colourful banners. The County May Fayre set was also super. Along with costumes and makeup, sets do help create that world of magic for the young audience. Props, of course, were many, spanning baskets of wares that the peddlers carried, amazing extending trumpets for the heralds, a set of stocks, protest banners against the Wax Tax and the Axe Tax, an archery target and many more. The production started with the villagers gathering to grumble about the Sheriff’s constant raising of taxes, and the fact that he was finding ever more preposterous taxes to implement. Young peddlers appeared, offering their various wares, and singing a cleverly adapted song as they did so, based on ‘These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things’. They received well-deserved applause. We met Maid Marion and her astonishing Nanny Fanny. Friar Tuck, we discovered, liked a drink, as he rather cleverly tumbled off a bench outside the pub. The Sheriff was exceedingly well played by Kevin Drury who made a marvellously threatening villain, though with his clumsy hopeless henchmen, Hammer and Tongs (Helen Bracher and Mandy Scully) one did rather wonder whether he’d be able to carry out all his dastardly threats! He had designs on Maid Marion (Isabel Moore), both in terms of her person and her fortune, and aimed to make her his bride. She seemed feisty enough though, and one felt she knew Robin Hood would save the day. The outlaws were an endearing bunch with Zack Taylor (Robin Hood) ably leading his Merry Men: Alan a Dale (Freddie Cox), Friar Tuck (Stephen Pugh), Will Scarlett (Luke Bevan), Much (Henry Moore) and Little John (Sean Lyttle), as they schemed first to rob the Sheriff of the taxes his men had collected, and later to rescue Maid Marion from the clutches of the Sheriff, and get him removed from his post. The desperate Nanny Fanny, (desperate in more ways than one!) joined up with the outlaws as they tried to rescue Maid Marion, and Little John promptly fell for her, which was of course reciprocated. Frazer Woodhams made a superb Dame and we especially enjoyed his duet with the great Little John of ‘Islands in the Stream’. There were all kinds of good songs in this panto. I was able to note Robin and Little John’s duet of ‘You’re Amazing, I’d Do Anything For You’, which I think was their dreaming of Maid Marion and Nanny Fanny. ‘We’re Men In Tights’ was a great song by the outlaws and there were many others, often accompanied by well-choreographed dances. The jokes were delivered with good comic timing. The appearance of Prince John (Fred Pollard) was a delight, a great performance from him, he also had a good song and of course he finally sacked the Sheriff. We had some community singing with ‘I Am The Music Man’, achieved by four performers on four different instruments from four corners of the hall. All in all, this was a jolly afternoon’s Compton treat, well directed by Alison Lawrence, and well performed by all with great gusto. Well done, team! Contributed by Pauline Surrey, NODA South East Region rep