The pantomime, ‘A Lad in a Manger’, put on by St Peter’s church at Christmas was an astounding success with over 500 tickets being sold which has raised over £1,000. The church put on two performances and a dress rehearsal before Christmas which completely sold-out, and such was the demand for more tickets, that two more performances were held on 12th and 13th January. These later dates also sold out despite minimal publicity.
The pantomime was a spoof of
the nativity story with Mary and Joseph
needing to find somewhere to stay without being detected by the wicked
King Herod. The innkeeper, Widow Swanky, was also trying to avoid
Herod, because he would be very angry if he discovered her secret
sweet-making factory: Herod wanted to keep all sweets for himself. Also
appearing in the play were three eccentric, singing Wise Guys, a rather
stubborn donkey called Portia, and many other characters. The play
featured the usual pantomime gimmicks such as chases round the
auditorium, and audience participation with ‘He’s
behind you’ and ‘Oh no he
isn’t’.
The feedback from members of
the audience has been very gratifying.
Some people thought the pantomime was even better than some
professionally produced ones, and others even thought that the actors
must be professionals as they were so good!
It was hard work getting the
pantomime ready but very much worth it.
Lots of people contributed to its success: the directors, actors,
musicians, choir and also everyone backstage: those who made the
costumes, props and scenery, and those who set up the lighting and
sound, served refreshments, printed and sold the tickets, and the
general organisation of booking rooms and getting it all set up and
taken down again each night.
Lots of people have asked if there will be another pantomime later this year. It will all depend on getting the right script and getting all the people in place to do it. At least it looks like there may be demand for another pantomime—thanks again to everyone who came to see ‘A Lad in a Manger’—we’re glad you enjoyed it!
Keep an eye on the website though, we may yet see a St Peter's Church "YouTube" of the Panto so you can watch the show again!
 |
 |