Students from Regents International School Pattaya pulled out all the stops on Friday, November 28 with a show so audacious that Head of Drama, Nick Lewis, labelled it “the best play I have been involved with, in all my years at the school.”
Anyone who has attended a school play could be forgiven in thinking that the level of performance is not of a very high standard. Regents’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ certainly made an argument for the exact opposite.
The story of Ebenezer Scrooge was delivered with great aplomb by the young cast at Regents International School Pattaya.
From the moment of arrival I was treated to a true ‘theatrical experience’. The dance studio was converted into a refreshments station, with Christmas carols playing and a faux log fire projected onto a wall. Bubbly school staff members greeted me with such a festive attitude it was hard not to get into the spirit of the silly season.
For those unaware of the vagaries of a pantomime: it is all about crowd participation. The quintessentially British form of theatre encourages jeering, booing, cheering and even heckling. The lead part of Ebenezer Scrooge, played by Year 12 student Travis, embodied this spirit completely as he egged the audience on – often culminating in riotous applause.
The story itself is classically ‘Dickensian’ in nature – the duality of good and evil. A tale that proves there is good in everyone and transformation from self-centeredness to benevolence is possible. All of this was acted out brilliantly by Regents’ aspiring actors and actresses.
Notable mentions include Tom, who played Charles Dickens, the narrator of the story and well loved by the audience for his terrible dad-like jokes. Roma and DJ played Doolittle and Doolally who also had many in the crowed bursting at the seams due to their heightened physical comedy. Bobby, who played the dual-roles of Bob Cratchit and Jacob Marley was also outstanding and should be commended for his versatility as an actor and the depth in which he tackles his characters.
The Pantomime was a last hurrah of sorts for Head of Drama Nick Lewis who is leaving the school in April to head back home to England. Despite this, he was visibly beaming following the performance of his charges.
“My time at Regents has been amazing. Every year I challenge the students to be better and they continue to exceed my expectations of them every time. I honestly couldn’t be happier with how it’s unraveled. Regents always has a way of really getting the best out of the individual and I will certainly remember the school fondly,” he said.
Anyone who attended Regents’ Globe Theatre for ‘A Christmas Carol’ is certain to have that memory too.
The full cast of ‘A Christmas Carol’ on stage at Regents International School Pattaya.
