Pantomime
by Charles Byrne
Fridays and Saturdays
Matinee & Evenings
January 25th-26th & February 1st-2nd, 8th-9th 2002
All the ingredients of a traditional Pantomime you'd expect from Holybourne Theatre: Audience participation, sing-alongs, jokes and laughter.
Evening performances plus Saturday matinees for fun family entertainment, in an intimate (144 seat) theatre with very competitive prices, in the heart of Hampshire.
Alton Herald 14/12/01
'The evening sped by and I was conscious of some aching muscles brought about by laughing more than my body is used to'
Snow White & the Magnificent Seven - Alton Gazette Jan 31st 2001
'Audience participation... theme of the night... It was hard to tell who enjoyed themselves more - the cast or the audience! ...a fun-packed evening'
Hansel & Gretel - 2000.
'Cinders packs them in at Holybourne'
Traditional ingredients... a sure hit... fast moving, with jokes coming fast and furious
Cinderella - 1999
'Family entertainment alive and well at Holybourne'
Red Riding Hood - 1998
'Holybourne panto proves a riot'
Adventure in Pantoland - 1997
'Holybourne beanstalk hits the heights' Jack And The Beanstalk - 1996
'More cracking up and falling down panto fun for all'
Humpty Dumpty - 1995
'Holybourne piper
the act to follow'
The Pied Piper - 1994
ALADDIN by Chas Byrne
Directed by Chas Byrne
Assisted by John Priddle
Choreographed by Leanne Vincent & Robin Frater
Cast
Chatta - a monkey: ROBIN FRATER
Abanazar - an evil magician: CHRIS FARTHING
Igor - a hunched backed assistant to Abanazar: PETER STONE
The Genie of the ring - a captive spirit: STACIE HARROD
Aladdin - a lazy hero: LEANNE VINCENT
Wishee Washee - Aladdin's none to bright brother: GARETH BALE*
Widow Twankey - a washerwoman and mother to Aladdin and Wishee: JOHN PRIDDLE
Princess She So Yung - The Emperor's daughter: CHARLOTTE PARKINS
So-Shi - The Princesses maid: KATHY DUCKETT*
Chee-Ken Chow Mein - The Grand Vizier: NEIL ANDERSON
Two Chop Suey - The imperial executioner: KATIE PENN*
Emperor Wai-One Ton - Emperor of China: CHRIS LANG
Empress Po-King Nose - The Emperor's bossy wife: KATHY MCGILL
Genie of the lamp - Helpful spirit: ALAN BALE
Giant Beavus - a vertically challenged giant: MAT HOW*
The Mummy Tut-N-Moan-Alot (non speaking) - Abanazar's mother (now deceased): CHRISTOPTHER NEWTON*
*Youth Theatre
CHROUS
Abagail Scott, Emily Cox, Hannah Duke, Kimberly Duke, Megan Cox,
Hannah Cox, Chris Bale, Carley Goodeve, Stephanie Dickson, Nadia Oates, Mark How, Romany Poole, Chelsea Dallimore-Crook, Charlie Dallimore-Crook, Lorna Davis, Hollie McGill
BAND
Drums: Chas Byrne, Guitar: Mick Deegan, Guitar: Dave How, Trumpet: Tim Dye*, Keyboards: Imran Hansraj*, Flute: Jackie Bailey
Backstage
Chloe Way*, Will Happell*
Excerpts from ALADDIN
Vizier: - Search every inch of this place. I want that boy found
Empress: - And when we do find him, we're gonna chop his block off!
Princess: - Oh mother, please be lenient
Twankey: - Oh please, please be lenient. Wishee? What does lenient mean?
Wishee: - Well lean is the opposite of fat, and an ant is an insect so it must be a skinny ant
Twankey: - Don't know why we want the Empress to be one of those, mind you she could do with an aerobics session or two.
Empress: - What are you babbling about?
Twankey: - Oh please, you fatless insect, please have mercy I'm only a poor innocent washerwoman
Empress: - WHAT! Tear this place apart!
Aladdin: - First we need to get back to the city and free Mum and Wishee from jail
Genie: - We'll break em out! It'll be a jail break. We'll build dummies of them to fool the guards then dig our way in with spoons while hiding the soil down our trousers. The monkey then takes out the machine gun turrets and we'll go under the wire. It's fool proof!
Chatta: (the monkey) - You mean it's thought up by a fool
Aladdin: - I was thinking more about just paying the fine
Genie: - Oh!
Chatta: - But how else do we get back to the city quickly. There are people depending on us
Genie: - This is the magical East you know. The only way to travel is by carpet
Aladdin: - A magic carpet!
Genie: - Certainly sir. And a very classy rug this is. Low air mileage, and only one previous owner. Complete with built in side impact knitting and stain resistant, fully washable thread. Top speed of 30 miles an hour and due to it's age, no air tax is required. And I can offer very competitive insurance rates that include third party fire, theft and plummeting to your death from 500 feet. There is however an extra charge for the 1000 foot plummet clause.
Chatta: - What are these balloons for
Genie: - Air bags sirs!
Chatta: - Air bags?
Genie: - That's correct sir. For your complete safety, in the event of a collision with, for example, a sheer cliff face, quickly inflate these with rapid breath movements, then hold said item, now fully inflated, in front of you ensuring, in event of said collision, absolutely no benefit what so ever
Chatta: - What's the point then?
Genie: - Well it takes your mind of being spread out all over a rock face for a start
Aladdin: - We'll take it!
Aladdin wallpaper:
Action-packed panto fun
HAPPY days are here again at the Holybourne Theatre, which is presenting its annual pantomime to packed houses.
The homespun production of Aladdin, written and directed by Charles Byrne, is definitely action-packed with everything to keep a discerning pantomime-goer spell-bound.
A cheeky little monkey in the guise of Robin Frater acts as narrator as well as embroiling himself in the action with young Aladdin, a boy pure and true, who faces adventure and adversity to emerge triumphant for the obligatory panto happy ever after ending. Along the way he falls in love with Princess She So Yung (Charlotte Parkins), the daughter of the Emperor of China (Christopher Lang) and his bossy wife Empress Po- King Nose (Kathy McGill). To add to Aladdin's difficulties, her parents, Grand Vizier (Neil Anderson) and imperial executioner Two Chop Suey (Emily Cox) get rather sniffy about an alliance between the princess and a washerwoman's son. But real adversity comes no nastier than Abanazar (Christopher Farthing), an evil magician who has set his sights on world domination, once he has got his hands on, the magic lamp and its obliging Genie (Alan Bale). His assistant Igor (Peter Stone), a colourful cross between Quasimodo and Frankenstein's monster, along with Abanazar's mummified mother (Chris Newton) aid and abet his dastardly deeds despite much hissing and booing from the audience. For good measure there's also a much prettier, but unfortunately less powerful captive spirit the Genie of The Ring, played by Stacie Harrod.
Adventures abound for Aladdin, his princess, dim-witted brother Wishee Washee, and mother Widow Twankey as they pit their wits, or are frightened wit- less, by the baddies of the Panto. Holybourne's resident panto dame John Priddle is absolutely splendid as Widow Twankey as with unflagging energy and much unscripted repartee he keeps the panto pot boiling, much to the delight of the audience and the amusement of the cast. At one stage he even organises every child in the theatre on to the stage for a singalong with Twankey. Set builders and technicians, have been kept very busy designing and building a variety of fanciful scenes which depict everything from Twankey's Wash and Go to to an Egyptian palace. Wardrobe staff assembled an array of colourful costumes for the large cast and a live six-piece band keeps up pace and tempo with some happy- clappy music, which aptly included Jail House Rock for a crazy prison scenario featuring Twankey and company.
Holybourne Youth Theatre under the direction of its joint choreographers Leanne Vincent and Robin Frater, provided a lively chorus of dancers who also undertook many of the minor roles with a great deal of confidence. Leanne Vincent, who has been a member of Holybourne Theatre since the age of 10 trained as a dancer and is at present undertaking a course in theatre studies, makes a great little Aladdin. She takes the role in her stride, as does Gareth Bale who manages to inject a great deal of humour into the hapless Wishee-Washee character.
But it's Charles Byrne who is Holyboume Theatre's man of many parts and backstage only can he write a witty script and direct a, punchy panto, he has also helped construct and design the set originate the set art work and design the poster. He also plays drums in the sextet throughout the show. Holybournme pantomime for 2002 delivers a great deal of fun for all the family for the next two weekends. To book, your tickets ring the box office on 01420 88088 or call in at Corbett's Bookshop at 41 High Street Alton.
Sue Cansfield - Alton Herald Friday 1st February 2002
