A century of dames, laughter and pure panto entertainment
GENERATIONS OF ROSSONIANS HAVE GROWN UP ON PANTO AND NEW ROSS HAS THE BEST ONES (OH YES IT DOES!) DAVIDLOOBY LOOKS BACK ON ITS HISTORY
FOUNDED in 1919, for one hundred years New Ross Pantomime Society groups have brought laughter, joy and pure entertainment to the people of the town and district.
January is a month of new beginnings and it was January 1919 that saw a New Ross group stage the first pantomime in the town, changing the course of the town’s social history.
The pantomime is a direct descendent of the old Roman mime in which actors performed wordless satires critical of the government on streets with impunity. Pantos were traditionally meant for adults with a child’s sense of play and humour. This power of playful expression has been a constant on stages in New Ross, with fairy tale characters and not politicians forming the inspiration for pantomime characters. The leading character in the pantomime is the Prince who is always the hero. The part is curiously always filled by a beautiful girl and the Dame is always a man.
A review in the Wexford People of January 1820 hailed the year’s panto Jack and Jill as an outstanding work of technical and artistic merit. The productions were well attended, the reviewer goes on to state, while the ‘electrical effects’ and staging was held as being spectacular.
A century on and little has changed, judging by the wonderful 2019 show, Peter Pan, staged for the first time to mark the groups’ centenary.
During the Great War pantomime became very popular in Dublin and New Ross man Charlie Kavanagh travelled there to see what all the fuss was about, returning full of enthusiasm for the new dramatic medium. And so the first New Ross pantomime was on its way. Cinderella was the first choice and the opening performance was January 21, 1919, with a repeat performance the following night.
Austin Butler wrote the script, specialising in local comedy, while the comedy team was led by Charlie Kavanagh and Johnny Kehoe. Jack & Jill was presented in 1920 but the troubles of 1921-1922 ruled out panto in those years. It was back to life in 1923 with Aladdin which ran for four nights, with May Costello in the leading role.
The second series of pantomime in New Ross was initiated by the New Ross Boat Club and Musical Society. They produced hit pantos including Old King Cole and Robinson Crusoe in the 30s. No expense was spared for the 1940 production of Cinderella (played by Kit O-Neill), with two white Shetland ponies pulling the carriage with Kit inside! As a side note the ponies were raffled after the last performance.
A significant development in 1939 was the return of Seamus Furlong from England. He went on to produce 12 pantos.
The discontinuation of the panto during the 40s left a void which was filled by local actors who put on top class plays. There was a 12 year gap before panto was back on the stage again in New Ross after the last of the Paddy Brennan produced shows.
The way for the return of panto was paved by Rt.
Rev Mons. J. Canon Browne who, in linking up with a dynamic town engineer with a love of history in Harry Finnegan, saw the old cinema restored and St Michael’s Theatre opened. St. Michael’s Theatre Pantomime Society came into being in 1960 and when rehearsals began there was no doubt about what the opening show had to be: Cinderella. So it was that on January 8, 1961, the curtain opened and New Ross audiences once again enjoyed great entertainment by Helen Gorry in the lead role and ‘Hackem’ Smith as the dame. Complete with a full orchestra, the performances were a sensation in a town long starved of panto.
Hackem’s performances over the following years have taken on legendary status in New Ross. Not only a pantomime dame par excellence, he was also a fine actor: as a young man he toured England and also toured Ireland with the Victor O’d Power Company.
Seamus Furlong struck up a famous partnership with Michael Fleming and their acting set pieces were the highlight of many a panto. Victor Hennessy and Jim Stacey also shone on the stage, surrounded by excellent supporting casts.
Panto was run by the parish until 1978 when the parish decided panto wasn’t making enough money to wash its own face a group of Rossonians came together and pledged that there would always be a panto in New Ross, breaking away from the parish,
In 1979 the New Ross Pantomime Society was founded and the fourth series of pantomimes got under way. On January 6, 1980, the curtain rose on Jack and the Beanstalk with Seamus Furlong as producer. The Eighties saw panto greats like Terry Brennan, Eddie Kehoe, Carmel Wilson and Caroline Aspel emerge. Tom Doyle, a panto stalwart, produced three pantos during the decade.
Actor, producer, sculptor, make-up artist, adjudicator and hairdresser Seamus took the reins for the 50th anniversary show in 1991, the eighth production of Cinderella in 72 years.
Victor Hennessy played the Baron with Patti Fleming as the Baroness. The Ugly sisters were Terry Brennan and Eamon O’Connor, while star of the past Martin Waters returned as The Footman.
In the following years old New Ross panto traditions have been kept alive by active committee members, many of whom graced the theatre stage.
Carmel McCormack was one of eight panto chairpersons: Seamus Furlong, Frank Murray, Tom Doyle, Anna Furlong, Harry Reinhardt, John Caulfield, Carmel McCormack and Eileen St Ledger. She said: ‘It’s a very involving job, like running a business.’
The society’s expertise at putting on shows was sought out by pantomime groups across the country. One of the main rules, no matter what, was that the price of the ticket had to be affordable. Little kindnesses were shown to some large families in New Ross and money was collected for charities and following tragedies in the town.
Carmel said the panto always gave back to the town because without the town’s businesspeople there would be no pantos. ‘We ran a quiz league in the pubs for 11 years and did race nights.’
She said one of the most rewarding aspects of the society’s work has been seeing people like Keith Flanagan, Carrie McCracken, Carmel Rowe, Linda Grace-Cox and Anne Marie Cooney develop so strongly in their careers. achieve great success on the stage. ‘One of the proudest things for me was seeing Terry Brennan go from back stage to progressing to making fabulous scenery. He was in demand all over the country. Des Kirwan before him built a whole castle wall to wall for the 50th anniversary Cinderella show.’
Every year the panto remembers members of the Pantomime Society, who have passed on to the great stage in the sky, further proof that the pantomime society is more than just a performing group: it is a family.
THREE of the longest serving members of New Ross Pantomime Society outline here their most vivid memories of pantomime in the town and how it takes a New Ross person to direct a New Ross panto.
Tom Doyle is a name synonymous with pantomime and acting in New Ross. ‘In 1968 pantomime was hugely popular in New Ross,’ he recalls. ‘People used to queue up at 8 a.m. to get tickets. Growing up in the town panto was just part and parcel of the community. I was 26 when I got into it. New Ross was very lucky with all the talented performers it had in the 60s. Pantos ran for ten days, with 14 performances. Many of the performers came from the John Player Tops of the Towns. I was friendly with members of the Emerald Folk Group who were in the panto and that’s how I got involved through John Aspel. My first show was Jack and the Beanstalk in 1968. From the first day there was a great buzz at rehearsals and lovely camaraderie. Everyone was very helpful to new members starting off. Hackem Smith was the star and Des Kirwan was the set designer, and Seamus Furlong and Michael Fleming were fantastic comedians and two brilliant actors. They could take off anyone and there was always something topical in the script. I enjoyed all of the pantos but the 50th anniversary show, Cinderella, was the stand-out one. There was a huge buzz leading up to it. I made my comeback having been out with a serious illness in 1984 and played one of the comedians with Tony Stacey. We did a sketch on Charlie Haughey and Mary Robinson. The panto went so well received there were requests for it to travel all over the country. I continued on until 2004.’
Martin Waters joined the year after Tom and was also involved in Cinderella in 1991. ‘From the day I started in panto, it became part of my life. From September to January it was all about panto.’
Both men said panto is great for building confidence and developing personality in people of all ages.
Carmel McCormack joined the group in 1974 aged 28, around the same time her husband Willie joined, and went on to work in every department, from back stage to box office, from performing on stage to directing Aladdin in 2009.
‘In the old days the panto was very hard to get into. People from the Players Tops of the Town were very successful once they joined. People like Terry Brennan. There wasn’t a showcase for women as the pub was a man’s world and men who could sing would be asked to join (the panto). I could always sing but there was never anywhere I could be heard. Then I was asked to play the fairy godmother. I grew up watching Hackem Smith, Tony Stacey, Victor Hennessy and the Flemings. Hackem was a dame over 40 years. Dames have to be bossy and fiery, but also masculine and he was. They were my childhood heroes and it was a great privilege for me to work with them. For years there were a load of members of families involved and then the John Player Tops opened it up.’
Carmel said it takes a New Ross person to get the subtle New Ross sense of humour, adding that when directors have been brought in from elsewhere the shows haven’t hit the heights.
She was there for the social life, when The Delare and The Viking were the pubs to frequent. She said the society has a great legacy in New Ross: ‘Nearly everyone who appears on the stage in New Ross today got their start in New Ross Pantomime Society.’