Haverhill puppeteer's festive show brimmed with laughs

Following hot on the heels of the success of An Everso Lovely Evening with Mavis, Haverhillian puppeteer Laura Bacon returned to the Arts Centre last Thursday night to once again wow with her diverse skill set of abilities.

This time it was with her initial creation and star of Britain’s Got Talent, Patsy May, writes Roger McCartney.

Laura had crafted and created an imaginative festive-themed evening for us and the charm and comedy that Patsy May guarantees were again in abundance.

She was ably assisted by co-host and equally talented, Richard ‘Dickie’ Dawes, as well as Kelly Mepham, who also featured in Everso. Laura’s on-stage chemistry with Dickie is excellent and much hilarious spontaneity follows.

Patsy May really is a joy to behold. Laura has the knack of capturing the absurdities and comedy of the wayward American accent, and much humour ensues from her nuances.

She is totally at one with her puppet, so much so that even when something goes wrong, the puppet instinctively reacts in the way that a human would.

I was very impressed with Dickie Dawes, who is obviously a natural in all things theatrical.

His energy and enthusiasm bounded alongside Patsy’s, and his solo rendition of Pure Imagination was a highlight. The duets between Laura and Dickie were also fantastic and I noted that their vocal ranges are exceptional.

Another pinnacle was Patsy May’s duet with crooner Will Brown via ‘Skype’ in Troy, NY. Their version of Blue Christmas was lovely.

I loved the thread of the show and felt the cosy fireside setting complete with Christmas tree and mince pies helped to increase the festive feeling.

The on-stage performance is complimented by much use of video and the clips are extremely well put together and edited by Laura herself.

I particularly enjoyed the spoof duet Fairytale of New York which is available on YouTube.

Laura will undoubtedly continue to soar to new heights in 2020 and many thanks to her and her friends for this inventive treat this Christmas.

Thank you for giving us the gift that keeps on giving, Patsy May.