Strike The Sets

The play is done, complete, closed.

Although we only had four performances, it seemed like 4,762. Again, let me say it: Save me from tap dancing children. Please. Sure, they are cute, but, when they are on stage over and over.... even if they were the best rehearsed and well behaved people of my cast.

Panto is an art form, found in the UK. You take a basic fairy tale, and make it into a play that must contain a cake baking scene, a Dame who is male, the male lead who is a woman, shouts of "Oh, yes you will!" and "BEHIND YOU!!" and really bad jokes and improvisation and heckles from the audience and well, you get the idea. You have to have a trained audience, every time.

Our Dame was 84 year old Ron, who was brilliant. Peter Pan was played by Phillipa, and the evil Captain Hook by Linda... all of them in drag.

We had a gay sailor, a huge green crocodile, a backstage crew that danced with the cast, and amazing audiences. We threw in things that weren't there (Hook forgot hi..her lines, and came over to my place off-stage, where I showed her in full view of the audience the script, and then, loaned her my readers so she could see. TonkerBell, think Tinker in punk gear, played by my friend, Loo...she danced upstage from the dancers, and was a hit.

I had a wonderful time, with an easy going group of actors, a calm director....the whole lot were kind, giving, and made the full experience a delight.



Oh, and they gave me flowers. Woot!








Our Neville Fact


For years, Neville has been trying to cross breed a cauliflower with spring peas. Margaret has grown tired of finding different ways of fixing the CauliPea, and has forbid him any more attempts. Little does she know, he's got a new variation germinating in the back of the greenhouse...he's determined to beat the Right Reverand Jeremy Throckmorton in the vegetable category of the W.I.'s yearly fete. He feels no one would ever eat the CarroColi based on the name alone.