South Yorkshire Times February 6th 1965
Denaby Youth Centre Panto
The Comedy Team, Wilfred Revill, Eric Smith, Stephen Duffty, Michael Deakin and John Jennings
Tom Hill Youth Centre, Denaby, pantomime “The Sleeping Beauty” opened for a fortnight’s run on Monday, and only four rows were full when the curtain went up, but by Tuesday evening the “house full” notice hung on the door.
This panto, produced by Eric Smith, was full of laughs. The children screamed with laughter, while mums, aunts and grandmothers rocked in their seats, especially at the antics of Katie the Cook (Wilfred Revill) and Biff, Bang and Wallop (John Jennings, Stephen Duffty and Michael Deakin).
The unfolding of the plot, too, was very well done, with Carabosse, the Evil Fairy (Eric Smith) suitably scaring the audience at opportune times, while the four main characters, the king and queen (Patrick Logan and Ingrid Hutley) who were not without their semi-slapstick humour, and prince and princess (Jennifer Hoyle and Betty Marshall) two real beauties, played their parts excellently.
Reg Atwell, as Lord Bumblechook, provided an admirable stooge, while the Lilac Fairy, Fairy of the Pine Woods and Fairy of the Tinkling Stream (Anne Kelly, Elaine Short and Pamela White) added to the fairy tale setting.
Two little girls, Heather Elliott and Elizabeth Ellis, Heather dressed as a page boy in lavender and Elizabeth dressed in a lavender crinoline, sang and danced beautifully to “Lavender’s Blue”.
The chorus comprised John Taylor, Pat Thompson, Ann Watkin, Betty Webster, Pat Robinson, Susan Curl, Pauline Carter and Anne Mellor, while members of the Elm Green school of dance, of which the principal is Mr. Eric Smith, had star spots. They included Wendy Burditt, Pamela Balck, Barbara Clough, Heather Elliott, Elizabeth Ellis, Linda Ford, Dolores Haigh, Maria Haigh, Christine Heron, Kathleen Heron, Susan Stringer and Christine Webster.
Wife of the Youth Centre leader Mrs. John Smith, and members of the club, made most of the excellent costumes, including all the chorus costumes, and the boys, under the direction of Mr. Smith, made and painted the professional looking sets.
Mrs. D. Blacklock was pianist.