Notes from the Green Room

It's Panto Party time...

2009-10-12T15:57:00.002+01:00

Wednesday 28 October is the date for your diaries. This year's talent packed cast of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs will be on stage from 1pm to present snippets of the show followed by a screening of the Disney Snow White film.
Tickets are FREE but you do need to book in advance with the Box Office on 01923 711063.

An apology...

2009-06-08T15:12:00.002+01:00

for being away for so long!
It's now June and we never thought we'd leave you alone for so long, not that anyone has really missed Watersmeet's absent blog!

It's been a pretty crazy few months.

Watersmeet has now joined the Facebook craze...not sure that's the right move but maybe that's cause we're not used to all this social networking stuff and don't mention Twitter! How do people find the time to tweet? It's all beyond me. And do I really need to know what someone has had for breakfast? Well, apparantly yes I do. Urm.
No doubt we're be tweeting over Snow White and Seven Dwarfs in the run up to panto season but for now I need to come to turns with Facebook first and try to make an entry or two on our blog.

No one is in the Green Room...

2009-01-06T11:55:00.003Z

Hello everyone

It's very quiet and quite lonely at Watersmeet.

All the cast have said their goodbyes and left to fulfil their dreams for 2009. The scenery is on its way back to somewhere up North and the costumes and props are all packed and parcelled up ready to go back to Manchester and Ruislip.

The Christmas decorations have been put away for another year.

The Big Pants that hung from the ceiling are now archived.

And it's so quiet. No more happy families passing through the doors to old Peking. No more Citrus Brothers causing madness and mayhem in the foyer...still that's not all bad.

But enough doom and gloom. Aladdin may be behind us...oh yes it is...but plans for panto 2009 are already steaming along!

This years production from Paul Holman Associates will be the enchanting story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and guess what? Tickets are on sale now and two performances have SOLD OUT! How's that for organisation!

So we hope to welcome you all back to panto 2009 and in the mean time, keep visiting our Green Room as we will update you with what's happening and announce the cast on our blog as soon as we know.

In the meantime, thank you to everyone who came to see Aladdin. The feed back we've had on the show has been truly wonderful and we're sure Snow White will be just as impressive, just as entertaining and just as magical.

Happy New Year to you.

And if you want to be an organised person and book for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs you can do it now, here! http://www.watersmeet.co.uk/

The crew stepped out of the Green Room and onto the stage last night...

2008-12-31T10:52:00.003Z

...and what a performance!

For those of you not familar with theatre or more to the point, crewing, crew people are a rare and beautiful species.

They get up late and then go to bed late. So a bit like students only older. I'd have opted for maturer but that would be wrong.

They are hardly ever seen. In fact you would probably only see them by accident if a scene change went wrong. Although there is an urban myth that sometimes they can be seen in the local Chinese restaurant, which reminds me, to be real proper crew you have to live off a bad diet and fizzy pop.

They live a life of wearing black. All the colour in their lives comes from...um, spectacular costumes, stunning scenery, dazzling lights, Chinese take aways...

Occasionally their socks can let them down in a black out.

They work hard, play hard and their humour is normally quite hard too, certainly not humour you would expect at a family pantomime.

So last night was all about THE CREW. Our ever so talented, ever so not shy, ever so clever crew and we're proper proud right now!

Historically, at the end of panto, the crew present their alternative version of the show. This is a tradition all over the country and one Watersmeet has upheld for years.

Last night's audience of cast and staff were in for a real treat. Sadly, this observer cannot share too much of the alternative Aladdin with you, but it was fast, in fact it was racy, risky and ridiculously clever.

Laugh? Not 'arf!

It's amazing how these beautiful people who hide away in the wings, closet themselves in the Green Room and only come out for air when they need it to be fresh, can be so different when centre stage!

Written and directed by the very clever, very inspiring, very talented Libby, the show involved quick changes Widow Twankey would have been envious of, lighting design our director could only have dreamed off and fight scene music that spoke volumes.

Aladdin was played by Zac and Rob. Confused? That was the point of the story. Confusion reins in the world of Aladdin.

Louisa and Libby took turns at being Princess Jasmine and the Genie of the Keys with performances that can only be described as honest, heartfelt and hilarious.

The boys swapped roles for a while and became IveBeenToRada, previously known as Abanazar, have-a-banana, have-a-chill-pill, interspersed with proper royal performances of Empiric size, and an award winning characterisation of Widow Twankey which should have seen the lads honoured in the New Years Honours list. Come on, a Dame hood surely?

Well done crew. You conquered. You dazzled and delighted all.

Five out of five.

Kelly has entered the Green Room

2008-12-30T09:39:00.003Z

Kelly does all the admin for the Leisure department and works in the box office and behind the bar. She also starred in our victory carnival parade back in May as Aladdin. Despite being such a busy bee she has pooped into the Green Room!

Wmt: How many pantos have you been a part of?
Kelly: This is my 3rd Panto working for Watersmeet. But I was part of one when I was 12 and I was pulled up on stage so really it's my fourth :-)

Wmt: What's been the best moment of rehearsals so far or the build up to opening night?
Kelly: For me it is everything about the lead up to Panto. You know Christmas is coming, the decorations are starting to appear in windows and then it's Panto time!

Wmt: Have you had anything testing, tricky or particularly difficult to do this week or during the run?
Kelly: Nothing too tricky yet but I shouldn't say that!

Wmt: If you had to identify with a character from Aladdin, who would it be and why?
Kelly: I'd like to say the genie or Princess Jasmine but I'm not too sure as I have only worn the Aladdin costume so I should probably say that really!

Wmt: What's you favourite panto and why?
Kelly: Any! I just love watching all the kids and parents faces light up from start to finish!

Wmt: How will you be feeling at the opening performance of Aladdin and how will you feel when the curtain comes down on the final performance?
Kelly: I think there's always a feeling of anticipation and excitement of every performance! The best thing about live panto is it's never quite the same twice! And sadly before you know it IT'S BEHIND YOU!!! Hehe!

Charlotte has entered the Green Room

2008-12-30T09:21:00.003Z

Charlotte is the Active Communities Officer for TRDC and she also works in the Box Office. Last year she helped out at the launch of Cinderella and became a Fairy Godmother for the day!

Wmt: How many pantos have you been a part of?
Charlotte: Cinderella last year and Aladdin this year
What's been the best moment of rehearsals so far or the build up to opening night?
Charlotte: Launching Cinderella last year - I got to dress up as the Fairy Godmother, travel in a horse and carriage and spend the day at Moor Park Mansion, whilst waving my magic wand!
Wmt: Have you had anything testing, tricky or particularly difficult to do this week or during the run?
Charlotte: Remembering everything I need to do in the Box Office
Wmt: If you had to identify with a character from Aladdin, who would it be and why?
Charlotte: Princess Jasmine, because I am quite simply a wannabe Princess! ;-) oh and it would be wicked to fly on a magic carpet!
Wmt: What's you favourite panto and why?
Charlotte: I remember going to see Aladdin when I was younger and got invited up onto the stage to sing the song at the end - so I guess it would have to be that Aladdin!
Wmt: How will you be feeling at the opening performance of Aladdin and how will you feel when the curtain comes down on the final performance?
Charlotte: Excited, because it will feel like Christmas is just around the corner and at the end, I think I will just be plain exhausted!!!

Thank you for coming into the Green Room Charlotte. Merry Christmas to you!

What are the audience saying?

2008-12-29T10:04:00.002Z

It doesn't really matter what the press say, although we all love a glowing review, what we really like to hear is the comments from families and children and here's a comment we wanted to share with you:

http://www.ecademy.com/node.php?id=119495

http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/search/?search=aladdin+watersmeet
and the critic from the Watford Observer loved the show too!

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-24T22:03:00.001Z

Merry Xmas from The Citrus Brothers and the rest of the Aladdin cast! There's still time to come and see us all in action - you'll love it!!

Matt and Mike

Ali has entered the Green Room

2008-12-24T09:58:00.003Z

Ali is the Marketing Manager at Watersmeet and she's popped into the Green Room
to share her thoughts with us.
And the picture on the left isn't rude but if you can think of any caption ideas do let us know!
This was taken in one of the dressing rooms and she's holding a piece of dame costume!

Watersmeet(wmt): How many pantos have you been a part of?
Ali: Aladdin will be my 21st professional panto.

wmt: What's been the best moment of rehearsals so far or the build up to opening night?
Ali: There's been loads. Seeing Matt Blossom try to dance was hilarious but working with Waitrose Rickmansworth on their community performance was very special. It was great to see so many new faces experience panto for the first time.

wmt: Have you had anything testing, tricky or particularly difficult to do this week or during the run?
Ali: Working on panto is always great fun and I get to do some really fun work with the cast in the build up to opening. I took the Citrus Brothers to five different schools to do assembly and they made me laugh so much I nearly wet my pants! Another funny moment was back in May when we entered the Ricky Carnival. We don't have a budget for things like that so we made a float from a Waitrose trolley, a washing machine from an old box, the box office ladies dressed up and we borrowed a man from the council to dress up as Widow Twankey. He'd never been a dame before and I had do to his make up, which was a first for me too. We laughed so much though and took first price in the commercial category for floats! You can see our carnival adventure on You Tube - just type in being dragged up!
wmt: If you had to identify to a character from Aladdin, who would it be and why?
Ali: Probably Abanazar because he's mean and moody but comes good in the end!
wmt: What's you favourite panto and why?
Ali: Cinderella because I was Cinders in a school panto, because its the easiest panto to sell and because when we did Cinderella last year, Mark Speight was our Buttons and we will always have very special memories of him and Natasha.
wmt: How will you be feeling at the opening performance of Aladdin and how will you feel when the curtain comes down on the final performance?
Ali: I was extremely nervous on the first night, in fact I'm nervous most times I watch the show because I want it to be a good and want everyone to enjoy it so it's hard to just watch it and enjoy it myself.
Once it's all over I always say never again but after 21 pantos I guess I don't mean it! It's pretty awful once all the cast have gone and the decorations have come down. The venue goes from being full of life with the cast around and a thousand people passing through the doors everyday to post Christmas blues and it's quite depressing but we start work on the next panto in February so in some ways it feels like a panto is for life...not just for Christmas!

Pants! Pants! Pants!

2008-12-24T09:44:00.003Z

Oh how rude! You can't say that.

Oh yes we can and we say it everyday at Watersmeet and last Friday night was no exception.

In fact we probably said it more because our very talented designers of our Big Pants came to the show to see their pants in action!

Kloe and Amber joined Widow Twankey for mince pies and spiced apple juice and got to see their designs up close and personal, after the evenings performance.

Well done girls. Your Big Pants have become part of panto history at Watersmeet!

Guess who's coming to panto today?

2008-12-24T09:26:00.003Z

Yes there can only be one visitor we are all so eagerly awaiting today...Father Christmas!
Yippee!
And the old man of Christmas has promised to take time out from his hectic round the world in some many hours journey to make an appearance in old Peking during today's performances of Aladdin.

So let the bells ring out for Christmas and if you see a sleigh being pulled by Rudolph hovering over the Watersmeet roof you'll know why...

Our reviewer from The Stage said...

2008-12-23T08:34:00.001Z

Aladdin
Published Monday 22 December 2008 at 12:40 by Scott Matthewman

Rickmansworth’s latest pantomime starts off well even before curtain up, as The Citrus Brothers warm up the audience and ensure their full engagement with the story as soon as the principal characters arrive.

Maurice Thorogood is suitably demonic as Abanazer, while John Brenner plays Widow Twankey as a Bristolian Amy Winehouse lookalike that is extremely likeable, with a natural pace to the humour that is complemented, rather than overshadowed, by the outlandish costumes.

As the romantic leads, Jonathan Eio and Kelle Bryan are suitably sweet, but when the musical numbers start they really shine. Eio’s musical theatre experience allows him to wring every nuance from the bland pop numbers Aladdin is given, while former Eternal singer Bryan demonstrates an astonishing voice that X Factor winners could only dream of.

Real star of the show, though, must be Peter Duncan as Wishee Washee. Demonstrating a boundless energy that is as infectious as it is exhausting to watch, he helps propel the audience along, which comes in especially useful at the end of the rather-too-long first act.
Combined with dynamic choreography from Louise Travis, who also plays a dual role as two very distinct Genies, the result is a delightful piece of family entertainment.

Worried of Watersmeet...

2008-12-22T16:40:00.003Z

This observer had the pleasure of accompanying Widow Twankey on a shopping spree to Waitrose last Friday night.

The glamorous dame dressed for the occasion! Big Pants, outrageous hat, shiny boots and a dress that wouldn't have been out of place in Gone with the Wind.

Did she cause a stir?

No. Not a second glance, not a double take, not any looks of horror or amusement which can only mean one thing... this has to be normal attire for Rickmansworth shoppers!

Waitrose Community Performance

2008-12-19T09:30:00.005Z

It's a very special time at Watersmeet today.
Our sponsors Waitrose Rickmansworth have donated over £3000 of tickets for this evenings performance of Aladdin to families who would not normally get to see a pantomime.

Waitrose Rickmansworth have also arranged for a special visit from Father Christmas this evening who will be giving all the children a gift.

We will also have our two competition winners Lauren and Kloe joining all our special guests, along with many councillors and reviewers of the show.

But, before we get to this evenings performance, the cast have another show at 2pm and then Widow Twankey will be calling into the Waitrose store to do some Christmas shopping so if you're in the aisles around about 5pm this evening, be scared...be very, very scared! This observer has been to Waitrose with the Dame before and I can only say it is an experience...

PC Ping & PC Pong take on Chelsea FC this evening!

2008-12-17T09:28:00.004Z

Our very clever coppers Ping and Pong will be dissing the glamour and spectacle of old Peking for Stamford Bridge this evening when they turn back into Orange and Lemon, the two halves that make the very talented Citrus Brothers.

Orange and Lemon will be at Chelsea's football ground to entertain 11,000 people in a night of Christmas carols and merriment!

We reckon the final score will be a victory for the Citrus Brothers and the crowds wont be left feeling blue...!

Some of our cast met in a previous life...!

2008-12-16T11:43:00.003Z

Well kinda!

The lovely Maurice and Matt have both been at Watersmeet before. Back in 1985 Maurice appeared in the pantomime Babes in the Wood with Brian Conley and guess who was in the audience as an 11 year old boy watching his first panto? Matt Blossom, who now appears as one half of our comedy coppers PCs Ping and Pong!

8 performances down...loads more to go!

2008-12-16T11:24:00.002Z

4000 people has passed through the doors and into old Peking over the last few days. The venue is surviving...there's always the piles of vomit from over excited children but we had a classic on Friday night when a little girl was hit in the face by her brother! It was an accident and there was no permanent damage but she was a little giddy for a while!

Our action man hero Peter Duncan has been throwing himself on and off the stage, climbing the auditorium walls and swinging from ropes but he now has a black eye. And he didn't get it performing on the Watersmeet stage either! Believe it or not, he got it through putting his Christmas tree up at home!

We did it!

2008-12-12T16:50:00.002Z

Evening all! We've just performed Aladdin for the first time and the 500 kids watching loved it!! Matt even managed to remember those dance moves!! The show is amazing-come and see it or Ping & Pong will pay you a visit!

Matt and Mike

It's show time and Wendy has popped into the Green Room

2008-12-12T13:02:00.002Z

Wendy is our Box Office & Admin Supervisor.

Watersmeet (wmt): How many pantos have you been a part of?
Wendy: This will be my second.

wmt: What's been the best moment of rehearsals so far or the build up to opening night?
Wendy: Watching Ping & Pong with all the children at the launch back in September.

wmt: Have you had anything testing, tricky or particularly difficult to do this week or during the run?
Wendy: Getting everything organised for next year's pantomime Snow White which goes on sale today!

wmt: If you had to identify to a character from Aladdin, who would it be and why?
Wendy: Wishee Washee cause I'm always washing and ironing!

wmt: What's you favourite panto and why?
Wendy: Peter Pan because I was named after one of the characters by my sister after our Nan read her the story when I was being born.

wmt: How will you be feeling at the opening performance of Aladdin and how will you feel when the curtain comes down on the final performance?
Wendy: Relieved - it's all finally come together and sad when the curtain goes down at the end of the run cause I'll really miss the cast and the hustle & bustle

Friday 12 December & Maurice has popped into the Green Room

2008-12-12T12:01:00.003Z

We're just over an hour away from curtain going up on the first show! Everyone is ready to go and really excited!

Yesterday went well. We ran two dress rehearsals. The first dress showed the crew and cast how the show worked, the speed we needed for scene changes and quick costume changes and from this we had an overall running time for the show.

I needed to make a few cuts because we were over running slightly and we ran these in the second dress rehearsal. The show time is now perfect at just over two hours.

So in a few minutes time we will all be on stage for a vocal and physical warm up before we get into costume and then it will be curtain up on the first of 44 performances!

Day 10 of rehearsals & Maurice is in the Green Room

2008-12-11T12:52:00.003Z

Think of rehearsals as a snow ball. You start day one with a tiny ball of snow and as each day goes by the snow ball gets bigger as you place more and more items around it. Yesterday was our technical rehearsal and the snow ball was huge! Everything was in place, the cast, the dancers, the stage crew, lighting and sound, wardrobe and props...all I have to do is keep them all in place! It's a bit like pushing a snowball up a very steep hill and I've accomplished that part. Now, with the dress rehearsal in front of us, I have to release the snow ball and let it roll.

I'll let you know how it goes...

Day 9 of rehearsals and Maurice is back in the Green Room

2008-12-10T15:39:00.002Z

We ran both acts yesterday afternoon and then took to the stage for the evening session.

For the first time we had all the juveniles and senior dancers with the full cast on stage. The choreographer, Louise, has done a wonderful job of taking my thoughts and turning them into routines for the children. I only had a few alterations to make so I'm very happy with the way everything has gone so far.

The band are in for the first time today and we aim to run through a full technical rehearsal later today, followed by two dress rehearsals tomorrow.

It will be a long day and exhausting day but we are on the home stretch now and counting the hours until curtain up on the first performance of Aladdin, which I believe is a sell out, so that will be a great start for the production.

Day 9 of rehearsals and Big Pants are in the Green Room

2008-12-10T09:47:00.005Z

The Big Pants Panto Competition has proved the biggest and best we've ever done with nearly 500 designs received, one entry even came from Switzerland!

Quite typically, Widow Twankey couldn't decide between two designs and ended up picking both of them!

The wardrobe mistress has done a wonderful job of taking the designs and turning them into the dame's Big Pants.

Congratulations to Kloe from Borehamwood who has designed the checks and spots and Amber from Rickmansworth for her purple flower design.

The Big Pants have proved such a winner with Widow Twankey they will now have an even bigger part to play in the pantomime!

Evening all.....

2008-12-09T21:59:00.002Z

Hello hello hello. It's Ping and Pong writing this on our mobile phone from our lovely digs next to the theatre. It's almost show time and we're both VERY excited!! Matt (PC Ping) has now perfected those dances and all is good! We've both been very busy practising all the circus skills used in Aladdin and we've been scaring the little ones with our fire eating!!

Time for sleep now!!

Matt and Mike

Day 8 of rehearsals & Maurice is in the Green Room...

2008-12-09T16:28:00.002Z

with a very score throat...

Yes, the panto lurgy has hit. It started with the ASM and has now reached me! No doubt it will go through the whole cast too.

The producers of the show have been in today and we've had a run through the whole show so they can get an idea on how it's looking.

We've had a final rehearsal on the flying carpet, which was a very smooth ride, no turbulence and the stage crew are definitely clear to take off now!

We just have one final scene to work on now. The ghost gag. And then that will be behind us too!

Day 7 of rehearsals and Maurice has entered the Green Room

2008-12-08T09:49:00.003Z

Yesterday was a very productive day. I spent most of my time with Dave Mead, the Technical Manager, his crew and Carolyn, our Company Manager. We had the peace of an empty auditorium to run through all the lighting. We started at 10am and by 8pm last night, we had plotted 120 lighting cues.

Lighting the scene for the flying carpet stil remains to be done but we're all confident this will look as stunning and spectacular as all the other scenes.

Whilst I was lighting up the auditorium, Louise was busy with our light-on-their-feet dancers from the Maria Anderson School of Dance and Drama, and all the cast. Once Louise was finished with the cast, they moved into another room with the Musical Director, Simon Townley and worked on our pantomime version of The Twelve Days of Christmas.

Day 5 of rehearsals and Keith is in the Green Room

2008-12-06T09:10:00.009Z

Keith is the Acting Front of House Manager at Watersmeet and he's popped into the Green Room to tell us a bit about himself and what he's been up to this week.

Can you guess who Keith is in this picture of his first pantomime appearance?

Watersmeet (wmt) Keith, how many pantos have you been a part of now?
Keith: Over 20. I was in my first panto in 1946.

wmt: What's been keeping you busy in the build up to opening night?
Keith: Putting the F O H backup in place, sorting out duty manager cover and getting the rotas in place for the many volunteers who help us out over the panto period.

wmt: Have you had anything testing, tricky or particularly difficult to do this week?
Keith: Getting the computer to work

wmt: If you had to identify with a character from Aladdin, who would it be and why?
Keith: The Flying Carpet, zipping here and there, hither and thither never knowing where I am going to end up!

wmt: What's you favourite panto and why?
Keith: Babes in the Wood; a sweet story that's not done much now, sadly.

wmt: How will you be feeling at the opening performance of Aladdin and how will you feel when the curtain comes down on the final performance?
Keith: At the beginning I'll be excited and hopeful that the panto will be the best ever, at the end, very nostalgic.

wmt: What's your all time favourite panto and why?
Keith: Cinderella, I saw a young Julie Andrews in it back in the 50's, and Oranges and Lemons because it was the first panto I was in at the tender age of 5 in 1946!

Wmt: Thank you for stepping into the Green Room Keith. We wish you a very happy panto!

Hello, hello, hello...

2008-12-05T11:05:00.003Z

Day 4 of rehearsals and Orange is back in the Green Room

I would just like it known that me and my two left feet came in extra early today to go through a dance routine.

I've been more peel than pirouette in rehearsals but I'm determined to get my feet co-ordinated and working together.

Someone from Watersmeet watched my routine this morning and she couldn't stop laughing so not sure what that's all about.

This is Orange, over and out.

Day 4 of rehearsals & Maurice is in the Green Room

2008-12-05T10:17:00.003Z

As you may know, I'm starring in Aladdin as Abanazar as well as directing the show. I've been asked how I direct myself when I'm also appearing in it. So this is what I do...

Firstly, Abanazar's scenes are mostly solo appearances which take place in front of a cloth so this makes it much easier. What I tend to do is ask the Assistant Stage Manager to walk the blocking whilst I'm in the director's chair watching from the front, where I speak my lines.

I have a wonderful Company Stage Manager in Carolyn Roper, who is always one step a head of me and she organises the day, she's like a first assistant director on a movie so this helps reduce my stresses and strains and makes directing myself much easier.

Our experienced choreographer Louise also acts as a second pair of eyes when staging a scene.

I have the attitude that all ideas are welcome and I will listen to any suggestions or thoughts the cast have. I think if you stop people from expressing their thoughts you may lose what could have been a real show stopping moment.

Directing the show is all about creating ideas and for this you need a team, and at Watersmeet, the team of technicians, box office staff and the cast are all working in unison, and with smiles on their faces too which is great!

Day 3 of rehearsals & Maurice is back in the Green Room

2008-12-04T16:30:00.001Z

Well the M25 beat us for a while yesterday and meant we had a late start.

All of Widow Twankey's costumes arrived with about 12 different head dresses, which are spectacular creations, real show stoppers and will certainly raise a few laughs.

Yesterday was about stagger! Stagger is when we go through a scene, not expecting it to be right because its still very much a work in progress and a long way off being ready for the opening performance.

So we had a stagger run through Act Two with just the actors in the main rehearsal room. Later today we will stagger again but place the children and senior dancers into the scenes.

The Citrus Brothers are bringing so much energy and comedy into the rehearsals, and everyday they show us a new trick.

Widow Twankey's Big Pants have been made but I need to keep quiet about this as there will be photos and the winners names announced on the website:

www.watersmeet.co.uk

But for now we need to find a moment in the show where the great dame can display the Big Pants!

This afternoon, I ran the scene with Aladdin (Jonathan Eio) and Princess Jasmine (Kelle Bryan) and for the first time I heard them sing - it was thrilling, two voices in perfect harmony.

Day 3 of rehearsals & an on-looker is in the Green Room

2008-12-04T09:48:00.002Z

It's mad here! Absolutely barking! Some would call it organised chaos, others would describe it as one sandwich short of a picnic hamper!

Since the cast arrived on Tuesday our photocopier has died, our printer is about to kick it and one of our software systems has decided to do its own thing, one of the cast has had their mode of transport keyed, some spare costumes are stuck up North in the snow, we're late signing off the panto programme but other than that, all is well at Watersmeet!

We're actually very excited and every day brings not just new problems but loads of laughter. The cast really are great and are keeping us entertained at the Box Office as they arrive and leave after each long day.

The stage is looking very interesting! At the moment, there's scenes from Peking mixed in Widow Twankey's laundry, the statue of Liberty propped up against another piece of set - how does she fit into the story? - a beautiful Chinese temple next to a mangle...I'm sure it will all come together and look stunning, and all in time for opening night!

The strangest requests this on looker has had so far is: Have you got any scout shorts and can you print my face so it can go through the mangle...

Don't forget to book your tickets for Aladdin so you can see how all the jigsaw puzzle comes together.

Call the Box Office on 01923 711063 or book on-line http://www.threerivers.gov.uk/Default.aspx/Web/Pantomime

Day 2 of rehearsals & Maurice is in the Green Room

2008-12-03T13:15:00.000Z

Day two and calm has replaced the story of the first day! Now the cast have their lines to learn and song and dance numbers to master.

Several scenes have now been blocked and we now have to place the many musical numbers into the story.

As we go through the script our Company Manager, Carolyn Roper,is busy with props and one by one, the cast are calling into our Wardrobe Mistress Valerie to try on the many beautiful costumes. Val will be kept busy for the next week shortening, lengthening, adjusting, tucking and tacking away!

I now have a full schedule of rehearsal days and times and who's required when and where so it's all systems go!

Hello, hello, hello, PC's Ping & Pong here...

2008-12-03T13:05:00.007Z

Day two of rehearsals and Ping and Pong are in the Green Room...

Its only been two days since rehearsals began and we've been acting, singing, juggling and eating fire.

One of us Citrus Brothers (the Orange one) has discovered he has two left feet whilst Lemon has been Strictly Come Prancing.

Kelle Bryan has said one of us is adorable.....ding dong, Kelle...I lurve you!

Orange is now checking out of the Green Room and going down Ricky High Street to get some lunch.

Bye bye from the Citrus Brothers.

Photos from Victorian Night

2008-12-02T11:20:00.003Z

Day 1 of rehearsals & Maurice is in the Green Room

2008-12-02T09:13:00.000Z

The venue's doors open and a wave of talent comes flooding into the rehearsal rooms. Actors, singers, musicians, dancers, jugglers and fire eaters all arrive ready to go!

Stuart Dunlop, the Venue Manager, and his team meet and greet us and make us feel welcome. We now know who to go for help on making a mijito, anything to do with steam and where to get the best cakes from!

On stage, the set is going up and will look spectacular.

Watersmeet is really buzzing with excitement and there's action everywhere. Dancers are working with our choreographer Louise Travis and singers are tucked away in another room going through their numbers.

And I've been in the main rehearsal room with our very talented cast, going through lines and starting to shape the story of Aladdin and bring it to life in true pantomime style.

In a few days times, the three rehearsal rooms will become one as we start to piece the scenes togther and once we've done this we'll take to the stage and see if we can make Aladdin's carpet fly!

Kelle Bryan brings a touch of loveliness to Victorian Night

2008-11-29T15:04:00.008Z

The beautiful, charismatic and charming Kelle Bryan showed up at Watersmeet on Friday 28 November to support Victorian Night and help switch the Christmas lights on...and boy did she sparkle like the true star she is!

Taking time out from her hectic schedule Kelle looked radiant as she made her appearance as Princess Jasmine. Stopping to talk to admiring fans, signing autographs and enjoying our sponsors Waitrose's mince pies, the Eternal singer was surely warmed by the atmosphere and fantastic turn out for this annual event. Even the weather was good, which has to be the first time in years its not rained!

Joining Kelle was John Brenner as the fabulously funny Widow Twankey, who kept the crowds entertained with some good old fashioned pantomime humour and tossing health and safety out the window, through bags of sweets far out into the crowd!

Rumour has it that Widow Twankey was kept warm on this chilly night through sampling mulled wine but we don't believe that do we? Oh yes we do...!

Chairman of the Council, Councillor Chris Lloyd introduced our panto stars and then helped with the countdown and our thanks to him for his support.

Also joining the pantomime stars were some local majorettes who marched and danced down the High Street with a wonderful routine.

We think this Victorian Night was the best ever so well done to all those who organised the event and huge thanks to both Kelle and John for making the evening extra special.

We will be posting photographs from the evening on here soon so visit again...maybe we caught you on a camera!

The boys in blue were back in town...

2008-11-26T13:18:00.004Z

School assemblies were full of fun and laughter this week when PC Ping and PC Pong visited the district to help raise awareness of the dangers of bogus callers.

Taking time out from guarding the Emperor, our talented policemen delivered what is a very serious message in a very funny, fast paced ten minute sketch which made this on looker laugh long and hard and who was still laughing by the fifth assembly.

Over 500 children enjoyed Ping and Pong's advice on what residents should do to avoid falling foul of doorstep callers and are now spreading the words of wisdom; stop, lock, chain before you open your door to strangers.

The very talented Citrus Brothers who play Ping and Pong in Aladdin will be back on the beat next week when they start pounding the boards during rehearsals.

This on looker thinks it would be a criminal offence not to see the Citrus Brothers in Aladdin so get your tickets booked or get nicked!

Hello, hello, hello - what's all this then?!

2008-11-20T15:32:00.002Z

Hello again from Ping & Pong -your two friendly policemen! We're both very excited that Aladdin is drawing nearer and nearer and we've been busy practising our circus skills, learning our lines and preparing to visit some local schools next week to teach the children an important lesson and to tell them all about the show!

We both look forward to seeing you all soon - get those tickets quickly, the show is selling out fast! And if you see us on duty before the show be sure to come and say hello!

It's only the bulbs which are low energy...

2008-11-19T12:25:00.004Z

...the performance will be fast paced, action packed, high energy, non stop FUN! FUN! FUN!

Only 12 days to go now until the cast arrive at Watersmeet and begin rehearsals. Some of the costumes are arriving this week, which is great news because PC's Ping and Pong are visiting a few of the local schools to deliver a very personal message to children and our comedy coppers need something to wear!

The Box Office team are busy selling, selling, selling! We now have ten performances which are on the verge of being completely sold out so don't leave it too long before deciding to book!

You can go on-line and book here
http://purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPurchaseagency=WATERSMEET&organ_val=29468
or call the team in the Box Office direct on 01923 711063.

And if there's any Big Pants out there that haven't been handed in yet the closing date is Friday 21 November!
Widow Twankey will be deciding on the winning design on Saturday 22 November.

Kelle Bryan will be lighting up the High Street

2008-11-12T08:29:00.002Z

Kelle Bryan, the super soulful singer from Eternal, will be lighting up the streets of Rickmansworth on Friday 28 November when the annual Victorian Night transforms the streets of Ricky back to times gone by.

Kelle, who will be starring in Aladdin as the beautiful Princess Jasmine, has agreed to help Widow Twankey turn the Christmas lights on and we want you to be there to help do the countdown. Come along and support Victorian Night, get behind the panto cast who give up their free time and show us you can count from ten down to one!

There'll be loads of stalls, from fair ground attractions to mulled wine and roasted chestnuts, you may even see the odd penny farthing or two. It's a great evening out for the family and really gets you in the mood for Christmas.

Kelle and Widow Twankey will be switching the lights on at 7:30pm in the High Street on Friday 28 November...

Talking of countdowns, did you know there are now only 44 days till Christmas which means there are only 31 days left until the opening performance of Aladdin...now that is scary! And that must mean that in 19 days time the cast will arrive at Watersmeet for the first day of rehearsals...OMG! We'd better get the tea and biscuits in!

FROM THE ASSOCIATE PRODUCER'S CHAIR...

2008-11-03T17:29:00.002Z

Now, you see? I am so technically inept, that I think I just posted something on this thing with no message on it! My apologies...
Anyway, it's busy busy in the Paul Holman Associates office at the moment as you can imagine. Not only because we are producing the FANTASTIC "Aladdin" at the Watersmeet this year, but 11 other pantomimes all over the country! You have to be careful not to send a cow to be in Cinderella, or a pumpkin to be in Snow White, or a poisioned apple to be in Jack and the Beanstalk! On the whole, I think we are all staying on top of things...
I joined PHA this summer as Associate Producer with Paul and John, who run the company. Not quite sure what this title means, other than to say that it is great fun getting the scripts together, casting the roles, drinking lots of black coffee and - my favourite part - choosing the songs and music to go in the shows! We have decided to combine very modern contemporary well known pop stuff with some good old traidtional songs. It's like a dream job come true, sat on the internet all day listening to possible musical numbers and then chatting through the choices with Paul. The downside is so many catchy songs stay in your head all day - and all night sometimes keeping you awake! At the ripe old age of 36, I have to say I know more now about what is in the hit parade (isn't that what the kids say nowadays??!!) than I have in a long time.
So, rest assured, the music will be great, very fitting for the action of the story, and will have something for everyone...!
Right, best go, don't to ramble on like Maurice the Director did...!! (I can say that, he's a very nice man!) Will leave you another message soon.... if not too busy climbing a beanstalk or something!

Getting in a lather in an aisle near you...

2008-10-24T15:48:00.000+01:00

Well maybe not but after The Street and The Square why not a new soap... check-out The Store!

Yes the rumours are true! Despite the credit crunch the cast of Aladdin have been into their favourite store - Waitrose Rickmansworth - to purchase all the soap powder and fabric conditioner Widow Twankey needs for her launderette in pantoland!

Oh yes they have...

PHA excited about first director's blog

2008-10-21T10:45:00.002+01:00

On behalf of the PHA team, I'd like to say a big thank you to Alison Cook at Watersmeet for helping to make this director's blog possible.

It's the first time we've been involved in such a venture & we're all very excited about it.

We hope everyone enjoys having such an insight into the interesting world of pantomime!

All the best,

The PHA team.

PS Please feel free to add a blog. All bloggers welcome!

hello!

2008-10-14T17:08:00.001+01:00

Greetings everybody! We're The Citrus Brothers and we're incredibly excited to be part of this years fantastic panto at the Watersmeet. We won't give too much away but we're going to be performing circus tricks, magic and a few other surprizes! We might be the best policemen you've ever seen. We'll hopefully meet you all soon!!

Matt and Mike - The Citrus Brothers!!

2008-10-14T10:27:00.001+01:00

If you missed the launch of Aladdin at our Panto Party back in September then visit http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=46fBIrI9Ju8 and meet the cast!

2008-10-13T12:18:00.004+01:00

Hi everyone

It's Maurice here! Making the inaugrual blog for the inaugural flight of Aladdin at Watersmeet this Christmas time!

I think this blog will be a great way for people to find out what's going on behind the scenes. The countdown for panto is well and truly under way and as I'll be directing the production and appearing as the ever-so-evil Abanazar too, I'm going to be pretty busy. In fact it already feels like I'm living and breathing Aladdin.

I have some great ideas for the show. I've been to Watersmeet twice since the summer and the great thing about the venue is I will be able to use the whole stage.
This isn't always possible because of bad sight lines, but with the Watersmeet stage everyone can see the action, be it on stage or off, so I will have the cast making entrances from behind the audience as well as from the sides, and indeed the show will start at the box office where the audience will be meeting comedy coppers PC Ping and PC Pong!

I have had a number of conversations with Louise, who is playing the Genie of the Lamp and also choreographing the production, and we are turning my thoughts and hers into one shape. It really will be an action packed show, but when you've got an adrenaline fuelled action man like Peter Duncan starring in the show, you know it's going be high energy!

So the show is blocked, I know where all the characters should make their entrances and exits and where they should be on stage during a scene. The scenery will be arriving at Watersmeet at the end of November and I'm sure audiences are going to be impressed - simply stunning.

I now have all the music for the show and will be talking to Simon the MD about play on and play off music.

Meantime lighting the show has to be talked through with the lighting designer.

Louise and I are meeting up before rehearsals and before the rest of the cast arrive so we can develop the relationship between Abanazar and the Genie. The idea is this genie is going to be very street wise, very much of today whilst Abanazar thinks he has all the answers to every problem and strongly believes that young people are a complete waste of time. A bit of a grumpy old man really! Oh no he isn't!

If you wondered what the first day of rehearsals is like, it will go a bit like this: we will meet and greet over tea and coffee. I'll go over all the housekeeping duties such as where the cast can park, who they contact is they're ill, emergency procedures and things like that before we sit down and go through the lines. And we're starting with Scene 2 first. This might sound illogical but I have my reasons!

Luckily most of us met for the panto party launch in September so that has helped break the ice and we know each other a bit better now. Unfortunately Kelle Bryan from Eternal was on tour when we launched so we haven't met her yet.

So it's all systems go!

Don't forget to get your tickets for Aladdin! The magical carpet ride to pantoland starts on Friday 12 December until Sunday 4 January. You can book at http://www.watersmeet.co.uk/ or call the box office on 01923 711 063.

In the mean time, I'll be dropping into the panto green room to keep you up to date. I'll bring you news direct from the first day of rehearsals and hopefully we'll be able to get some of the cast to call in and leave a message.

Oh, and for younger audience goers Watersmeet has a great competition going on at the moment. The Big Pants Panto Competition! It's a great idea. You need to download the pants template from their website - http://www.watersmeet.co.uk/ or get one from the box office, and then design some pants for Widow Twankey. A winning design will be picked in November and if the Dame likes them then the pants will be making an appearance during one of the scenes in Aladdin.

I'm not sure what Widow Twankey will be looking for design wise, maybe she could drop us a line...

Today I am excited about: Actually starting rehearsals

Today I am concerned about: How will I make Aladdin's carpet fly