Roll up, roll up for a panto
REHEARSALS are in full swing at the Theatre Royal in Newcastle where the cast of Goldilocks and the Three Bears are being put through their panto paces.
Clive Webb and Danny Adams are busy adding their trademark twist to the traditional tale and The Chronicle was invited behind the scenes on Monday to watch the action unfold.
Joined by their fellow cast members, including familiar faces Chris Haywood as the panto dame and Steve Arnott as the ‘baddie,’ they performed quick-fire routines and slapstick comedy amid a fast-and-furious mix of chorus song and dance numbers and circus acts.
Circus features large in this Goldilocks story which has Ringmaster Danny and Dame Rita out to save the future of their Big Top when wicked rival circus owner The Baron comes to town.
And the show sees Danny perfect more of the circus skills he has previously showcased to audiences, such as his juggling and – following a dramatic Houdini stunt last year – he has another big stunt in store this year.
“We try to learn something new every year,” said Danny. “In the first years, nobody expected anything from us but now audiences do so we have to come up with funnier and bigger routines.”
Every year, he and dad Clive are keen to ensure a new surprise for spectators and, with this year being their 14th panto together at the Grey Street theatre, they work hard to keep things fresh.
That’s the main focus point too for North East-born Michael Harrison – who co-writes, produces and directs the show – and part of the reason for the decision to pick as its base a fairytale that is rarely adapted into a pantomime.
Goldilocks offers them plenty food for thought as they embellish what is a slight story, he says in a break in rehearsals. And, the fact that this year happens to mark the 250-year anniversary of cir-