Behind you

Back in the days when I had something resembling a social life, I used to welcome performing in the local pantomime.

Getting together with good people, being slathered in make up, wearing wigs, fake boobs and outrageous outfits and making the male participants of the audience incredibly uncomfortable, but all in the name of making people laugh was the perfect antidote to the January blues.

It’s why I was envious of my BATS chums up on stage yesterday, as it looked like they were having a ball performing Cinderella. I was touched to see a photo of myself (in character) adorning one of the sets and there seemed to be (to me) some new blood in the cast, who were excellent and combined well with the old hands who know their stuff. It would have been a difficult show for them too, the matinee crowd was full of exceptionally young children (even a couple of babies) and was therefore pretty noisy and distracting, to the point of which we struggled to hear the dialogue at some stages.

Regardless though, my lot and I loved it and were booing and cheering wherever possible, although The Youngest did tell me after that she missed me being in the show as she “enjoyed laughing at me”.

I would argue that it is entirely possible to do this without the need for me to be on stage.

In totally unrelated news, I heard Susie Dent (of Countdown fame) on the radio earlier and she was asked for a favourite word to which her reply of “respair” made me smile.

Respair dates back to the 15th century and means the return of hope after a period of despair.

I think we could all do with some of that right now.

Oh yes we could.