Bringing Bognor's 2022 pantomime to life | Vicky Meets

We’re mid heatwave. Is it weird to be planning Christmas pantomimes in scorching heat? Yes! It’s 32 degrees outside and I’m writing Christmas jokes! But pantomimes take a lot of planning, which starts as soon as the curtain has come down on the previous show.

What can you tell us about this year’s Bognor pantomime? We are so excited to be bringing Beauty and The Beast to Bognor this Christmas. We have re-written the story, keeping it faithful to the original but with a modern twist. Fabulous fun, it’s set in Gaston’s karaoke bar. It’s going to have plenty of slapstick comedy, spectacular scenery, beautiful singing and dancing and a great cast. There really is something for everyone.

Why do you love pantomime so much? I have been in the pantomime world all my life. It’s a great tradition and there are so many rules and protocols with it. These keep the integrity of the show together.

We all know, for instance, that we can participate by shouting ‘it’s behind you’ and so on, but as producer I need to need to ensure that there is just the right amount of audience participation.

Pantomime is a tale of good versus evil. There is a goody and baddy and it is important to ensure that these are played correctly. For instance, traditionally the baddy enters from stage left and the goody from stage right.

Knowing and understanding these traditions adds to the magic for me. I take great pleasure in teaching new performers how this great art form works.

Have you ever acted in pantomimes? For many years I played the villain. A really strong villain is massively powerful, but with a comic edge. I would snarl and shout at the audience to wind them up, telling them how powerful I was. Then, when they were raging at me, I’d run off – straight into the side wall! I used to hit it really hard for comic effect and the kids loved it because the baddy was a failure. But after 100 performances it really hurt!

What is the funniest thing that has happened to you in panto? I was one half of a double-act with a comedy genius called Frankie Whittle. He went everywhere at 150 miles an hour, on stage and off.

Once, during a fast-paced comedy scene, I turned around and he’d disappeared. He’d been going so fast that he’d actually run right off the stage and into the Orchestra Pit! Picking himself up from the drum kit he ad-libbed brilliantly, saying: “Just one of the pitfalls of the job!”

How long does it take to rehearse a panto? The actual rehearsal period is very short; normally around 10 days. But we hold a script and music meeting in September, which means that everyone learns their lines and songs before rehearsals begin. Dance rehearsals start a bit sooner for our professional dancers and our beautiful chorus of pantomime juveniles.

Can we book tickets? Oh yes you can! At alexandratheatre.co.uk, or 01243 861010