Fairy Jane’s Gaiety wish comes true
Cast gears up for panto fun
Watson as Princess Jill, who has worked her way up from being a dancer, to playing a lead part in the Gaiety panto.
Delighted Jane told the Ayrshire Post: “There’s two theatres in Scotland where I’ve not appeared and wanted to work - one was the Theatre Royal in Glagow, and the other is the Gaiety in Ayr.
“I’ve always wanted to come here since I was wee. My grandpa came from Ayr, and I used to come down here a lot with my mum when I was growing up, especially over the summer months.
“The aunt of one of my friends was appearing at the Gaiety and she used to bring us backstage, so it was the first time I was ever in a dressing room, saw people getting make- up done and so on, so it’s a place that’s got very fond memories for me.
“So I can’t wait to get started - and I’ll just have one more to cross off my list now!”
This year’s panto tells the classic story of Jack and his mum, Dame Trott, who have to sell their cow but she is none too pleased when Jack comes home with just a bag of beans. But the beans are magic and sprout a huge beanstalk - and that’s when the adventures really begin!
Jane added: “This wi l l be something like the 20th pantomime I’ve been in. I’ve been in Kilmarnock, at the King’s in Glasgow, the Pavilion, Dunfermline, at the Magnum and through in Edinburgh.
“It’s a great experience, every time. It’s enjoyable because you are breaking down the fourth wall and involving the audience, which you don’t normally get to do in theatre. I love that you can do things like involving the audience, getting them up on stage, and it’s great for the kids too, getting them into theatres and having fun.
“One of the funniest things I ever saw was when I was doing a panto with Derek Lord. He was playing the villain, but he had been off- stage, and somehow had got some girl’s bra stuck onto his costume, and he didn’t know about it. He was trying to be evil, but everyone just kept laughing. The audience were killing themselves!
“Panto is great fun, but the thing you have to remember is that as a cast, we can’t be lazy. We’ve got to keep the pace up, even if we’re doing two or three shows a day.
“While we might be doing the show for the umpteenth time, it’s the first time the audience will have seen it, so we need to treat them with respect and make every show as good as it can be.”
Jane, who has just finished appearing at the Oran Mor, is about to begin a stint with the Rapture Theatre Company, who will be performing Arthur Miller’s The Last Yankee, which will lead her up to her stint at the Gaiety. The show will be at the Gaiety on October 8.
Rehearsals for the panto begin on November 22, with the show running at the Gaiety from December 1- January 4.