onionbagblog

Well this was all a hell of a lot of fun. Midweek in the Wivenhoe Congregational Hall and I found myself witnessing the latter stages of the rehearsals for the Wivenhoe Pantomime.

Hurrah!

Jack and the Beanstalk (with a very local Wivenhoe twist) will be entertaining locals at the William Loveless Hall at the start of the New Year. The run stretches from 19th - 22nd January, with a matinee performance on the Saturday afternoon.

The process of putting of on a pantomime is a complex affair. Working under the professional guidance of Wivenhoe local @MatthewLinely, plans for the show have been put in place since April of this year.

The script comes via Wivenhoe comedy legend Brian Ford. Anyone who is familiar with Brian’s open mic floor spots at the Folk Club will know what to expect.

A keen and eager band makes up the cast. What was wonderful to see was the range of Wivenhoe locals that have stepped forward to take part. The rehearsals are rather random, with plenty of knockabout humour as the evening develops.

The lead role of Jack is being played this year by Wivenhoe Comedy Club favourite @HazelFunnyFarm. What with putting on the Funny Farm at the Cricket Club this Thursday, and stepping up a gear with panto rehearsals, it’s all no laughing matter…

Tickets for the pantomime are on sale now from the High Street Post Office and Premier Crossways Store. £4.50 is a bargain price for the Wednesday and Thursday productions. £5 will buy you a weekend ticket (with the evening performances expected to be rather lively…)

You can follow @wivenhoepanto on twitter for insightful updates into the artistic process. Failing that then there’s some good old-fashioned knockabout humour bouncing back and forth. For more information, the group also has an email address for further communication.

Many thanks to @MatthewLinley for kindly agreeing to the podcast catch up below.