Pantomime

The Aquarius Pantomime

Over the years Aquarius SC has done many things and gone to many places, including in recent times, Christmas pantomimes at local theatres. This year however Aquarius outdid itself by writing and performing it’s own Pantomime, entitled "The Princess and the Pico", for the first time.

The original idea for a panto was put forward a year ago by Rodger Wheeler as a way of encouraging our younger members to get involved in a project over the closed sailing season.

Imogen Morris came up with an original story and wrote the script. No mean task and from that point it took on a life of it’s own. Edmund Morris was given the job of Director backed up by his dad Andrew and Rodger Wheeler as Producer.

Following several production meetings the story was broken down into scenes and a cast list of both our younger and young at heart members drawn up. Scenery and props lists were compiled together with costumes, lighting, music and make-up requirements.

While the cast got to grips with learning lines Bodgit Panto Productions got on with the business of staging the show which included making the stage, designing and painting scenery and manufacturing stage properties. These included an interesting collection of small dinghys which were required to be sailed/capsized on the stage.

Bodgit did actually draw the line at a suggestion for a trap door in the stage. It was felt that cutting a hole in the clubhouse floor would not go down well with the Management Committee and would create one hell of a draught.

Rodger, doubling up as sound and lighting engineer, vanished into the roof for hours on end. We have no idea what he did up there but eventually the lights and sound burst into life, which was helpful.Meanwhile, Richard Cannon and Frank Rainsborough were looking after Programme Design and the Box Office and it was heartening to hear, just a few days before the show, that it was sold out and no further bookings were being taken.

Jean Hendra, in addition to being cast as a fish, was appointed as make up lady for the show and this is interesting. I have never seen so many blokes (Rodger Wheeler, Mike Hendra, Frank Rainsborough and Tony Hopkins to name a few) queuing up for Jean to do their make up, while arguing about who had the biggest boobs, best hairdo and most colourful tights. I tell you, put a bloke in a dress and something very weird happens to him (or them) in this case. I’m especially worried about Tony (The Commodore) Hopkins, he was overheard chatting up some of the back stage crew at one point.

Joan Courtney looked fantastic as the Fairy, complete with gossamer wings but was obviously suffering with the cold backstage. Gordon Courtney, on the other hand, as the priest, had a long warm coat on.

The front of house staff also had plenty to do. Anne Knowles did an excellent job of producing a very tasty chilli when she realised that Nigel, who was still slaving away making boats, was never going to find the time to do it himself. Well done Anne.

Thanks also to Pat Halling who helped with the between the scenes entertainment and Ken Aryes & Simon Lunniss who served up the food after the show was finished.

So what of the show itself. Well, if you had seen the dress rehearsal on Saturday the 16th. You might have been forgiven if you had suddenly found a more pressing engagement. Like most dress rehearsals it was a shambles with everybody saying things like ‘it will be all right on the night’. In the event the Sunday performance actually went off surprisingly well.

Fortunately the audience don’t know what it should have been so don’t notice all the things that go wrong. Quite a lot, especially the scene change fillers, had never been rehearsed.

The audience entered into the spirit very early on and seemed to be laughing a lot of the time. Albeit probably at their friends and relatives making absolute fools of themselves, but what the hell!

Our younger members including Hannah Lunnis, Imogen Morris, Noah Ashworth, Robbie Lunnis, Dominic Lunnis and Millie Ashworth should be very proud of themselves and what they achieved in a very short space of time. I also hoped they had a lot of fun. The mature members were primarily there to support them but I know they got a lot of enjoyment from it.

Since the panto the video that was recorded on the Sunday has been run several times for the cast and crew to watch. Hopefully an edited version will be available later in the year for general viewing. Some of those involved are already taking about what to do next year. Heaven help us!

Postscript:

I arrived at the club on the evening of Wednesday 27 January to find everybody eating Haggis, Neaps and Tatties and watching the DVD of the pantomime. The fact that they’d missed Burns night by two days didn’t seem to bother anybody.

The DVD was the first time that most of the cast had seen the show and I think they were enjoying it as much as the audience did on the day it was performed.

The impromptu ‘Burns Night’ supper was followed by Lorna Morris’s chocolate cake with beetroot which, I was told, was very tasty.

Heaven only knows what ‘Rabbie’ would have made of it.

Mike (The Evil Butler) Baker

Picture by Frank Rainsborough

Juniors having a break from rehearsals

The magic spell, picture by Rodger