No-one could get into the panto spirit until the boy was found

AHEARTFELT Happy New Year to you all. Please God it will be a good one for everyone. For the first time in a long time, both Darling Derry and I were working in the restaurant on New Year’s Eve. It was a lovely easy going night with lots of tourists in town.

We had people from the US, Denmark, Italy and Germany as well as the Irish regulars. We were with all our team as the clock struck midnight. There were a couple of great friends that had been in for dinner and they stayed back with us too. It was a lovely way to welcome in 2018.

Speaking of lovely times, I was at Rapunzel last week in the Gaiety. It was the first time in years that I attended a good old fashioned panto. My brother in Chicago was home with his family and neither his wife or children had ever been to anything like it before.

The Gaiety has been presenting pantomimes since 1873 and it was always a tradition in our house to go on St. Stephen’s Day. My sister thought this year it would be a great idea for all 20 of us to go, so the extended Parker clan took up a whole row at the theatre on Dublin’s King Street.

Town was very busy and the atmosphere outside the theatre was electric. The sales were in full swing, and there were people laden down with bags all around us.

We all met at the bar for 12.30 as we did not want to be late, and even the adults were excited for the show to begin.

Everything got off to a great start, but 15 minutes into the performance, the show was stopped as there was a child missing. It turned out that a three year old boy ran from his Dad coming out of the toilets and they could not find him.

This is every parent’s nightmare. He had an identical twin brother that was brought to the stage to help with the search, as they were dressed exactly the same. You could see how upset his parents were.

Eventually the guards arrived and the show was continued, but no one seemed to settle until Nanny Ninny Noonah the Panto Dame (aka the wonderful Joe Conlon), interrupted proceedings to inform everyone that the child was found safe and well two blocks down the street.

You could hear the relief in the theatre. Up until that announcement, audience participation was almost non-existent, but once every parent knew this child was safe, we all relaxed and got into the panto spirit.

The show itself was very entertaining with the usual slapstick banter.

The singing and dancing was first class and the children in the audience were enthralled to see the Billie Barry kids on stage. They were so professional as always.

This adult enjoyed it too. I was delighted I had agreed to go. It brought back many happy memories. Panto is good clean fun for all the family.

At the finale, when everyone was taking a final bow, Nanny Ninny Noonah told us all that if we enjoyed ourselves, we were to tell all our friends. If we didn’t, we were to save our breath to cool our porridge.

Caroline Downey, Denis Desmond and all the team should be very proud of their achievement. They have brought the great lady Gaiety back to her former glory. Rapunzel has been extended to January 26, so if you need a bit of cheering up this dreary January, you know what to do.