08 Dec 2023
Laura Bill is back treading the boards with the cast of this year’s Alban Arena panto…
It’s Day Four in ‘The All New Adventures of Peter Pan: A Pantomime Sequel’ rehearsal room and the first thing that strikes me is the stark difference from the launch lunch back in the summer and its relaxed and glamourous smiley vibe.
This is more bags, coats, scripts, coffee – thank goodness – and serious faces. Half of me wants to put my legwarmers on and join in and the other half of me feels slightly unsure of who to speak to first.
There are three rehearsal huddles; a group of dancers and their choreographer in the middle bar area outside the auditorium, a few actors and the band downstairs in the cloakroom area and then another trio line-learning in the room where the wardrobe is.
It is an intense time for these actors as they figure out every movement, sound and nuance over a period of just ten days before the show starts and I can feel the pressure mounting.
I decide to start with Corrie’s Peter Barlow – Chris Gascoyne – and panto legend Ian Kirkby who are chatting to one side. Ian is a St Albans pantomime stalwart and the two of them seem happy to be back together on this job. They’ve known each other since they were little and went to acting school together.
They are both staying in the same house somewhere a few miles away (I do know where but we live in crazy times now and I don’t want them to wake up to hundreds of screaming fans camping outside 😊).
I ask Chris if it is difficult being away from his family. He said he won’t go home at all until the curtain goes down for the last time which is probably the case for the others too.
In the break for coffee I overhear TV star Maddie Moate ask: “Shall we do some Christmas things?” and someone replying: “What? Go to the pub?” There is talk of a quiz and pizza that is already arranged.
Whenever I come to one of these rehearsals I get a massive surge of cool. Like proper cool. Kids from Fame cool. And I want to buy tracksuit bottoms and leggings and overpriced sheepskin boots.
Imagine how amazing I will look in my new loungewear and sunglasses singing at the top of my lungs through St Peter’s Street as I bungee into M&S for my prawn sandwich? (Stick to your notebook and coffee, Laura!)
Wendy – Kira MacCarter – Tinkerbell (played by Maddie) and Merlyn, aka, Jocasta Almgill are all super impressive and on it when it comes to lines, songs and movement. A duet between Peter Pan (West End actor Samuel Bailey) and Kira of From Now On literally made my spine tingle and my arms go goose-bumpy.
Kira was nominated for Best Principal Girl two years ago while with Evolution and I can totally understand why. She is mesmerisingly brilliant. She really brings it all off the page, even in leggings and a hoody, and I am suddenly gripped by the concept of the “stolen essence of dreams”.
Maddie is conscientious and focused throughout and never stops smiling. She told me: “The cast are brilliant. This is a technical show and so we are all working really collaboratively.”
The CBeebies star, who now lives locally, added that she went to the Christmas Cracker event recently and said she loves the city and how many people came out for the day to support it.
Captain Hook calls out, “You will never defeat me!” to which everybody (including the band and wardrobe) respond, “Oh yes we will!”
Dorcas Wood has a big job to do and nothing gets past her. Her great grandfather was a pantomime producer and so was her father. She approaches Sam mid-sentence with a “Right – that is a (firmly) ‘I’m not going Poppy!’ there, not a (gently) ‘I’m not going Poppy’,” and explains quietly the context of the line in a really kind way.
There is chatter about the bench scene and my ears prick up as Dorcas reveals that it is a historic part of pantomime with a purpose.
It is to get the audience moving and I half-joked that it is a psychological move to prepare them for giving a standing ovation at the end.
Getting the audience participating in a song definitely gets Grandma’s handbag off her lap and perks everybody up a bit towards the end of the show, we all agree.
Evolution have been delivering the bench scene since 1987 yet it goes back a lot further than that.
A few males – including George Akid as Starkey – practice a tip-toing across the stage to music played on the keyboard by one of the band who they affectionately refer to as ‘Uncle Matt’.
Then I hear: “Whatever you do don’t shout and try and wake him up!”
Head of wardrobe Rose Claridge is in charge of everybody’s costumes and changes and even has the job of dressing Dame Ian – Mrs Smee – into his huge array of ever-changing finery.
From press launch to show night there can be many alterations and changes to outfits. As we are talking, Chris comes in and asks for three more black shirts instead of the occasional white one he is given to wear as he feels the black is “more Captain Hook”.
Rose makes a note of the brand of the label Chris calls out to her from the one hanging up already and she agrees to try and get some more or something similar.
I go and pay Sam, Jocasta and Kira a visit as they are learning lines in the wardrobe room. Sam said: “We are on day four and we are pacing through. It’s going really well – there is lots of dancing, singing, acting and we are all getting on really well and it’s lots of fun!”
Jocasta added: “The thing I am most looking forward to is having an audience because we put so much hard work in and when the audience come in it is going to lift it all up to the next level!”
Ian later quipped that the thing he is most looking forward to is “a cup of tea and a lie down in a dark room in January when it is all over”. He’ll get into trouble about that I’m sure!
There seems to be a lot of waiting around and it’s a bit cold in the lower depths of the Arena if you’re not dancing!
I asked Chris if he is enjoying it. He said: “It is intense. We are here from around half nine to about six. The audience is the biggest character – the whole thing relies on the audience reaction.”
I popped upstairs to grab a coffee and a bourbon biscuit and see the dancers in full swing being skillfully choreographed by Pippa Holliday. They run through a routine to one of my favourite Matilda songs, Revolting Children and it is superb!
The thing I love about this company is that it is a family business yet utterly professional and brilliant and Paul Hendy’s writing together with the fabulous talent Evolution brings in does not ever disappoint.
Dorcas agreed: “We have got a fabulous team, have had record sales and are really excited to bring the show to the St Albans audience. You will get to see all the characters you love plus the slosh routine, the ghost bench gag and more. You will even see Peter Pan fly…”
The show runs at the Alban Arena from December 8 to 31. For tickets visit https://alban-arena.co.uk/events/peter-pan-2023/
Watch out for our review following the press night on Sunday.
