Let's get this party started...

We start thinking about pantomime fairly early on in the year at the Coliseum but this week it is officially the start of the festive season and the whole company are bracing themselves for more than two fun filled months of organised chaos. The cast arrived on Monday, we had a read through in the morning and they started learning the songs by the afternoon. It’s a great way to break the ice and brings the whole company together straight away. The two chorus teams arrive in the evening - all 18 of them.

Choosing the songs for the panto each year also starts fairly early – the cast and band need time to learn them of course! If you’ve been to a Coliseum pantomime before you’ll know that we use a lot of current songs. Some consider it to be untraditional to use pop songs but the roots of panto go back centuries and the songs used back then will have been the modern songs at the time. So the Coliseum’s production is a modern twist on these traditions.

Each year the show will include a big opening number - or ‘curtain raiser’ - to get everyone in the party mood. For Mother Goose (2009) it was 'I’ve Gotta Feeling' by Black Eyed Peas. There is always a love song between the principle boy and girl, for Sleeping Beauty (2010) we used 'Just the Way You Are' by Bruno Mars. After the interval there will be another curtain raiser kick off the second act plus there’s songs for the fairy and baddie. Towards the end of the show there’s a pop medley (something quite specific to the Coliseum) – it’s great to see the audience recognise each pop song as the opening lines are sung. It’s also fantastic to hear the whole auditorium sing along to each song they recognise completely unprompted – certainly part of the Coliseum panto experience.

When it comes to actually picking the songs I need to make sure they are age appropriate –some songs can be a little x-rated so I have to filter them for the family audience or sometimes alter a few of the lyrics in the verses. I also have to ask around to find out what’s popular – basically asking anyone under a certain age (ahem). My 12 year old daughter is a great help and the other week the office was awash with colleagues suggesting all their favourite songs from the year so far. I had to get my notepad…

It might only be week one of rehearsals but as a company we’ve been planning this production for months and once the curtain goes up on Saturday 26 November there’s no looking back. See you there!

See you at the theatre.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director