Festive panto

I KNOW what you’re thinking, a ‘White Christmas’ in May?

According to Mandy Baughurst - Thringstone Pantomime and Drama Society’s outgoing producer, director, choreographer, actor and singer - the choice of show was dictated by the size of the society, the difficulties finding a show that did not clash with other companies and one that the society could afford to put on.

In short, the market ruled.

But for all the difficulties faced by amateur groups, TPads epitomises that much quoted approach of the theatre: “the show must go on”.

They gave us song and dance and some very funny moments.

Most prized by me was the chaos of rehearsal and the stage manager’s never-quite-despairing attempts to get all the cast members in the right place at the right time.

She capped this with sheer delight when she announced: “We did it - by remaining calm!”

The costumes and hairstyles, all in period, deserve a mention as sourcing these is a task in itself.

The final scene took us back five months as the cast, resplendent in Christmas jumpers, muffs and red dresses, standing in front of a Christmas tree, sang their hearts out to White Christmas and I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm.

And that was the overriding impression I left with - a warm-hearted and enthusiastic group of singers, dancers and actors, ably backed up by musicians, technical boffins and a multiplicity of people, bringing us a perhaps slightly out of season show, but inviting us to suspend disbelief for a couple of hours and seek shelter with them from the ravages of the 21st Century.