Venue starts countdown for its ‘spectacular pantomime’
Bognor’s Regis Centre has started the great pantomime countdown.
The cast for this year’s show Jack and the Beanstalk got together to meet and to set the ball rolling.
For Hazel Latus, who runs thevenue,it’sahugelysignificant moment at a time when things do remain challenging. Sadly, inevitably, there was no panto last year, but as Hazel says, the signs are good for 2021 – even if bookings aren’t quite where they probably ought to be at this point in the year.
“I suspect people are going to get to the end of September, beginning of October and say ‘Right! What are we doing for Christmas?’”
It could well be the year of last-minute booking with people wanting to be absolutely certain that shows are going to be able to go ahead before they buy their tickets.
“But we are confident. We are going to do panto this year, and we will make sure that it is Covid-safe.”
The show will run from December 8 to January 2 and comes from the venue’s traditional panto partners, Spiller Pantomimes.
Hazel is promising “a spectacular pantomime featuring a superb cast, brilliant scenery and costumes, amazing special effects and lots and lots of laughs”, the first time Jack and the Beanstalk has been performed at the Alex.
“Pantomime is so important to us,” says Hazel. “It is the spirit that it brings, the fabulous children that come into the theatre, the families, the people of all ages. It is often the children’s very first experience of theatre and you want to give them a good introduction.”
Inevitably, a good panto is crucial to venues financially: “Often it is bringing into the theatre people who wouldn’t necessarily come and see other shows, and you hope that they will be picking up leaflets and brochures and maybe coming along to other things later. The bars do well during pantos. Ice cream sales are good during pantos. It really sets the theatre up for the year.”
But above all, it is about the great atmosphere that panto brings, uniting the community and offering them plenty of laughs together at the end of a very difficult year for everybody.
“I like to work with acts that I have known, people who are team players. The people we have are amazing, and that’s why we have a lot of them back. They are people that work well together, and you know that when you have got a great atmosphere back-stage then that is going to spill over onto the stage as well. I like people who are wonderful back-stage and then you get a wonderful atmosphere all round. It is all part of the spirit of the show.
“For a good panto, I think you have got to get the humour right. I think you have got to get the scripting right so that you have a show that stays just the right side of ridiculous. It needs colour and it needs fantastic costumes.”
Tickets from the venue.