Panto Time

Every year I treat the daughters and grandchildren to the panto at Whitley Bay Playhouse. It’s handy as we can all walk from #2 daughter’s house. The children started going at age 3 so know the routine. Steve Walls, the star every year, comes out at the end for the photo call. Here they are Thomas (11), James (9), Nathaniel (9) and Ella (11). Soon the latter two go up a year but for now the cousins are the same age.

It was Cinderella this year so I wasn’t sure if the boys would like it. However there was much hilarity from the 3 lads with the frequent remarks by the ugly sisters about how much they liked balls. Every year they somehow incorporate The Bench and the ghostbusters tune then the ghost appears amid much shouting of “it’s behind you!” They love that still. There was a take on the 12 Days of Christmas song. Instead of 5 gold rings it was 5 loo rolls on a string - somehow this was thrown into the audience and James caught it. When it came to the twelfth day they pulled out water pistols and came running off the stage squirting then on us all. They seemed to enjoy it us much as we did. Though when the bra made for 3 got caught on a bit of the set and it was pulled off it pulled down part of the set, and we saw them preparing for the following scene - the safety curtain hurriedly came down while it all got fixed.

It was silly and fun and we laughed and laughed and shouted and shouted.