The Riverside Players’ pantomime, Red, was a credit to all those involved.

From then on, there was lots of energy on stage, with each performer playing their part with confidence.

Written and directed by Gillian M Coley and Julie Salmon, the story of Red weaves the fairy tales of Little Red Riding Hood with the Three Little Pigs and we saw the pigs, Dotty, played by Leonie Motler, Woody, played by Di McKay and Cassius, played by Steve Yarnall, seeking a new home in the woods.

But after a conversation with Harry House, the estate agent, played by Simon Newell, they realised they couldn’t afford to buy one, so they set off to build their own.

In the course of events, they met up with Little Red Riding Hood, known as Red, played by Abi Bryson, who regularly took cakes to her grandmother, who was played by Marc Colson.

And, of course, the tales are united with a wolf as the baddie, played by Gavin Haines.

The plot flowed very well, as the story went from scene to scene in the limited space offered by the village hall.

The set was simple but effective, especially the little pigs’ houses that were blown down by the wolf, who ate his victims as he went along.

And this led to a particularly enjoyable scene, with several of the characters performing a turn for Britain’s Got Talent, within the wolf’s stomach.

Another effective piece of theatre was the grandmother’s bed, which allowed the actor to stand on stage, while bringing all manner of things out from under the covers.

All the parts in the production were delivered with unique characteristics, and each actor can be proud that they made the audience laugh from start to finish and the younger members of the cast performed with great maturity.

Red played to a packed audience on the Saturday night, and judging by the laughter, the production was well received and so it deserved to be.

It was a credit to all those involved.

Robert Constable