Sunday 8 June 2014

Passing of a Panto Legend

Leo Greene one of the stalwarts of the Chrysanths sadly passed away yesterday.
Leo was always ever present with the society and played a major part in the development and continued success of the group.

My earliest memories of Leo and family go back as long as I remember. The Greene's back door backed onto our back door and our two families enjoyed various parties as I recall.

When I joined the Panto Leo was an experienced and accomplished performer.
I remember him as a Brokers Man, Simple Simon (or Idle Jack) and latterly as a Dame. Leo represented Amateur Pantomime as a Dame in a national Newspaper.

Afterwards Leo contributed mightily to the development of the scripts though many of his jokes were terrible and mostly unprintable. We certainly couldn't use them in the show but he was always whispering some risqué comment at rehearsals and having us in  stitches. Leo gave me and Jed many tips when it came to comedy on stage.

Leo for many years dealt with publicity and the programme. He was always popping into local shops trying to get adverts or sponsorship. He always managed to get Mcdonalds to supply us with soft drinks and vouchers as giveaways. Don't know how he did it but no one as been able to get anything out of them since.

Leo was a legend in the Panto. Even now he will be arguing with My Uncle George and Harry Bedson about who will play Wishie Washie in the Pearly Gates production of Aladdin.

Rest in Peace Leo and don't try and tell your jokes to the Angels, you'll get yourself kicked out.

Condolences to Miriam, Paul, Pam,Helen,and family.

Graham


Saturday 25 January 2014

Happy new Panto Year

So the Panto year has ended and I thought I should wrap up the blogs as well.
Successful show with good audiences who all seemed to enjoy it. Enjoyed my slapstick with my oppo and escaped without too many injuries. Good fun bashing him with plank though I think he got his own back sticking that paint brush in my mouth!

Ironic,with me going on at my Dame  mate all year about being careful with his rude material, that I should be the one to drop the rudest word of the week in the picnic gag! Still it was a Saturday night audience who were having a raucous time and the slip was completely accidental....honest.

Principals were all brilliant with great performances from our 2 debutants who are both under 18 and our other young principal playing the wolf who is just legal to drink.
We had a fantastic mix this year the right blend of experience and youth. Bringing in an experienced female performer to play principal girl also lifted the performances of our home grown female principals who were all on their top game. The kids were all top notch and were amazingly so well behaved. The logistics in moving 70 kids and young people around the theatre were handled with military precision thanks to the mums who took the time out to support the show.

Our back stage crew were also brilliant. In the end it was a very technical show with lots of complicated effects involving lighting, sound, pyrotechnics and props. To get these right takes an enormous amount of concentration and skill. I don't name names in this blog but all the people who work so hard so that a few of us step into a little lit box to perform, do a wonderful job and I hope take great satisfaction from a job well done.

The show continues to get better year on year and long may it continue. The  Chrysanthemums reputation is, I feel, growing steadily. We want to get to a point were local talent are cramming to get a part in our show, we grow our local support to a position were tickets become  difficult to get and we are an annual post christmas regular treat for Merseyside families.

So give it a week or so and then we're off again. Not sure about next years show yet. We have got our hundreth, hundreath hundredth (got it!) show coming up in 2018, so want to save one of our big shows for that. Cinderella is looming though, the one show where I can legally wear womens underwear. 

I can never understand, though,why my oppo has to wear Per Una silk knickers under his ugly sisters costume. No one can see it, though he says it makes him feel authentic. 

It takes all sorts....Happy Panto Year to all of you

Pantobloke



Sunday 5 January 2014

And So to the Show

Well the week of the show arrives and are we ready? You bet we are
Principals are chomping at the bit, repeating their lines over and over in the supermarket queue, songs are being repeatedly sung in the shower or on the loo, jokes are being practiced on sufferring partners (who tend to be ignored all week) and I am frantically trying to remember the box step while clearing out the garage.

Back stage preparations go into full swing, scenery ordered, special effects to be finalised, costumes fitted and the logistics of getting 70 odd kids safely onto the stage being efficiently organised.

Had a busy day yesterday. Me and my oppo did a live interview on the Radio Merseyside Breakfast Show at 8.20. Went well but strangely nerve wracking and much worse than going on stage in front of 800 people at the floral. Very difficult environment radio, just you, the DJ and the microphone in front of you. Anyway think it went OK and we got a couple of gags in.

Went back over to town later to meet the dame at the footie. He's raring to go and I'm sure his jokes will be as subtle as usual! Just like a bride, something borrowed, something new....something blue !

So my pantoblog ends for this year. Thank you all who have bothered to read it. I look forward to seeing you all this week. Unless you are that single blog reader from Kurdistan who,as a pig farmer , I am sure will  struggle to afford the plane ticket to get to the  Floral.

Me and the oppo now look forward to our usual week of mayhem, you know spitting water at each other, poking each other in the eye, having fights with paintbrushes, all the normal childish behaviour and then having to go on stage!

It's going to be a fun week.

Pantobloke