Writing a panto - well sort of...

How to write a panto – well – sort of??

This year’s Felton and Thirston Pantomime Society’s interpretation was around a re-titled ‘Peter Pan – Well……Sort of?’ which “took off” and headed straight to ‘Never-Never Land’ via a series of unexpected ‘twists and turns’ that saw the Darling children ‘whisked off’ by Peter Pan and the most unlikely Tinkerbell that anyone could have expected. That was when the ‘rot set in’ with a “boy meets girl”, “boy loses girl” and “boy gets girl” theme.
‘Captain Hook’ and his diminutive ‘side-kick’ ‘Aye Aye’ plotted to ruin everything – but in true panto tradition they failed and order was restored with a traditional ‘Happy Ever After’ pantomime ending. Stunning acting from the whole cast however the undoubted star of the show had to be eight-year old Bailey Fowler (Aye-Aye) as ‘Captain Hook’s’ ‘Mini-Me’!!!  He acted his role with confidence having the audience in stitches!!! The cast thoroughly enjoyed playing to 'sell-out' audiences who enthusiastically joined in the ‘Behind You!!’ banter and the songs.
The pantomime was given full credence through wonderful sets, designs, props and costumes - all of which added to the on-stage fun for the audience and cast alike; this is the distinctive aspect of our panto - fun for all the family!! Plans for next year? Oh, yes there are!!
Where does our inspiration come from? It’s not about the craziness of the writing - it’s about the craziness of the writing partnership! We have got ‘inside each other’s mind’ so, once we have the story, the script then flows between us with ease. Taking a known pantomime, putting our ‘off the wall’ slant and linking in village activities and characters is the fun part. Our approach has proved to be a winning formula and the storyline always seems to slot together no matter how "off the radar" we go!!