Panto Time in the Village

It is panto-time in the village again with the annual production of the Stoke Climsland Amateur Theatrical Society. Every year they offer a reworking of a traditional panto theme and this time it was the turn of Beauty and the Beast to get the SCATS interpretation. We went along for the matinee performance with three of our grandchildren: the two girls had been before but it was the first time for our eldest grandson (well, he's three). He didn't know what to expect and, bless his little cotton socks, he was rather apprehensive about the eponymous Beast.

One of the joys of a village pantomime is seeing familiar faces in unfamiliar guises. Look, there's Jenni from the Post Office with red hair. And Lyn from our walking group as the Evil Fairy. And wasn't Paul brave to act his part without his teeth? And who told Simon he could sing? Or Mary that she could act? (I've made the last two up. Oh, no I haven't. Oh yes, I have). And so on throughout the programme and stage hands. 

Another joy is watching children get into the swing of things by hissing and booing the baddies, cheering the goodies and joining in the singing. They had a good time and the fact that they kept still for the duration of the show attests to that. 

And I shouldn't forget to mention that, as the scripts are written by members of SCATS, all performances are replete with references to local places and people. In this way the village pantomime differs from the larger productions at provincial theatres where the lingua franca is all about TV shows and so-called celebrities. Hooray for SCATS and long may they continue to entertain us in their own inimitable style.