Throughout Panto this past season I
wrote a weekly Blog about the show for the Evening
Post Web site
www.thisisswansea.co.uk
Before I delight
from my saved documents I thought I put post them
for any Panto fans to read.
Part 1
07.12.07
Every year
Swansea Sound presenter Kev Johns is transformed
into everyone's favourite panto dame. In fact, some
children would probably struggle to recognise him
without a large helping of blusher and the biggest
false eyelashes you've ever seen. But there is a
huge amount of work that goes on behind the huge
hats and dreadful dresses.
And it's all fun, as Kev explains in the first of
his weekly panto diaries exclusive to this website.
IT'S hard to believe that I'm back in rehearsals for
Panto at the Grand Theatre! Where has 2007 gone?
This year's Panto is Dick Whittington which I
believe was last at the Grand 20 years ago. I was in
a production of Dick Whittington in 1995 and its one
of my favourite Panto stories.
Already, even though it's only day one of
rehearsals, the company are starting to get the feel
that Swansea is a great Panto City. Notice I always
use the word company not cast, because it takes more
than singers, actors and dancers to put on a show!
The fun of day one is getting to know everybody and
find out if people know folk that you know and have
worked with before. On the first day of a rehearsal
we meet for tea and Welsh Cakes and to quickly get
to know each other. The Grand is a very welcoming
theatre with a very friendly staff who go the extra
mile to make everyone welcome.
I have worked in theatres in other parts of Wales
and the UK, and sometimes have only met the guy on
stage door! I'm very proud to say that things are
not like that in my home town theatre and that all
the staff there give the best support to all those
who perform at the Grand.
After the welcome meeting we all went our different
ways. Dancers made their way to the dance studio
with choreographer Anna Marie Idle, whilst the rest
of the performers went to work on songs with the MD
Griff Harries.
Then it was lunch! It's become a bit of a tradition
in recent years that the panto company head to
Gershwins for lunch. It's always fun to watch people
put names to faces and eat lunch on a table next to
stars of their favourite soap or TV show!
I'll let you into one secret - Hannah Waterman had
the famous Gershwins' Cawl, which is far more
exciting gos than me having scrambled egg on toast!
After lunch we start blocking Act 1. That means we
run through the script as the director Rik Gaynor
(who also plays Jack) works out how we come on stage
and get off - Easy! I don't think so - just wait
until you see the Spotted Dick routine.
Just before 5pm the director called it a day - well
kind of - he went to the dance studio, I went to the
wardrobe for a costume fitting and Hannah and Hayley
Gallivan (who's brother Craig played Aladdin last
year) were spotted going through lines by stage
door!
Ruth, who is our DSM, then makes sure that everyone
has the call time for Thursday - It all starts again
at 10am in the morning!
YOU can read the next part of Kev's diary next week.
PART
2 15.12.07
Unbelievably
we're half way through rehearsals. Today we left the
rehearsal room and moved onto stage, beginning the
technical rehearsal.
The "tech" is not my favourite time!
Each scene is run on stage whilst Chris Barrett, our
lighting designer, Tony who is our sound supervisor
and Steve the Grand Stage Manager and his crew plot
the lighting, sound and set changes.
However, it does give everyone a feel of how the
show is going to run, whilst the colourful sets
reminds you that you are back in Panto Land. This is
one of the most colourful sets I've worked on and
there are great costumes.
This year I've got about 10 costume changes and our
wardrobe department has to look after 14 actors and
dancers and two teams of Panto Babes from the Grand
Dance School. We're very fortunate that our company
this year is a good company, and everyone gets on
very well.
As a sports fan I'm delighted to have Barry Danials,
who plays Alderman Fitzwarren, to talk football
with.
Barry's a Millwall fan whilst Ray Meagher loves
every kind of sport, but I'm taking everyone to see
the Swans at the weekend so the Jack Army will grow!
Like most of the working world we do get an hour for
lunch, and most of us walk across the road from the
Grand to Gershwins.
I do smile at the double-takes that people give when
they see some of their favourite soap stars at lunch
in Swansea city centre. However, everybody has
commented on how friendly people are here in South
West Wales.
Now on Monday we'll start rehearsing with the
orchestra, and on Tuesday we'll have two dress
rehearsals and then Wednesday it's opening night!
It doesn't matter how many shows a performer has
done, opening night is a stressful time. It will be
for audiences to judge but I've got a feeling that
this year's Panto is a really good show!
PART 3 21.12.07
Every year
Swansea Sound presenter Kev Johns is transformed
into everyone's favourite pantomime dame. Here is
the latest entry from his panto diary.
I still sometimes
get difficulty in believing that I have had so many
opportunities to appear in a Grand Theatre Panto.
Like many thisisswansea.co.uk readers I grew up
watching some of Panto's great panto performers at
the Grand. Wonderful stage performers such as
Freddie Lees and, of course, Ryan and Ronnie
I'm told that the
first panto that I went to was Puss In Boots in 1966
which starred Jess Conrad. I've played charity
football with Jess on a number of occasions, he's a
great guy and an excellent goalkeeper!
I do remember seeing Wayne Fontana in Jack and The
Beanstalk and Stan Stennet in Robinson Crusoe in
1970. Stan is really a Welsh King of Panto and still
has great enthusiasm for Panto!
Anyone who performs at the Grand can't escape the
theatre's great Panto tradition as there are old
panto posters along the dressing room corridors. I
think that the three that I remember the most are as
follows:
Babes in the Woods with Ryan and Glyn Houston. Clive
Dunn in Cinderella. Little did I know when I watched
that Panto that I would share a dressing room with
this great star just 10 years later when we filmed a
Christmas edition of Highway at HTV in Cardiff.
Finally, Anne Aston, Freddie Lees, Ivor Emmanuel and
Kenny Smiles in Cinderella.
I hope that this year's production will have a
memorable effect on some young and will encourage
them to keep going to watch live theatre and maybe
inspire potential performers.
We had our dress rehearsal on Tuesday and that was a
long day and although the day had its moments by the
end of the day we could see light at the end of the
tunnel.
Although our opening performance was billed for
Wednesday night we actually performed to an invited
capacity audience on Wednesday afternoon and their
kind reaction and that of the opening performance
reassured that we had a good show!
This week I'd like to mention our wardrobe
supervisor Jess. Jess is responsible for all the
costumes in the show and dresses me. I have 10
changes in the show, some in the dressing room,
others in the wings but Jess is always there to make
sure all goes well.
Jess is also in early each morning for washing and
repairs and stays on after the rest of the company
leaves. Today we have just one evening performance
and will use this morning for a rest and the
afternoon for a visit to the children's ward at
Singleton Hospital.
Then, on Saturday, three shows!
PART 4 27.12.07
It's incredible
to think that Panto only opened a week ago and by
the end of Boxing Day we've already done 13 shows!
One thing that doesn't surprise me is the enthusiasm
that the people in the cast have for the Grand and
for Swansea.
Some are seasoned performers who have performed in
some of Britain's most famous theatres, but their
praise for the Grand and for my hometown makes me
feel very proud!
This year we have a wonderful cast and there's a
great spirit back stage as we share a lot of laughs
on stage and off! Barry Daniels is one of my
favourite cast members. Barry is our football loving
(Millwall fan) Alderman Fitzwarren and is a
wonderful actor. I love to listen to Barry's stories
about experiences that he's had working alongside
some of the nation's most successful stars. Barry is
someone who aspiring performers should meet.
I shudder when I hear aspiring X Factor contestants
say I've wanted this all my life, I want to be a
star. For most of us in the entertainment industry
it's about getting a career as a performer and being
able to work at a job that we love.
We also have some incredibly talented young
performers in the company who are at the start of
their careers.
This year we have two very talented Swansea Girls.
Playing Alice Fitzwarren is Hayley Gallivan, who is
the sister of Craig who played Aladdin last year. I
was in school with Hayley's dad Tony and I have fond
memories of introducing Hayley in Swansea Search for
a Star shows. Hayley is a real talent and will
definitely be a success in the entertainment
industry, as will another Swansea girl - Nia Jermin
from Pontlliw. Nia, like Hayley has recently
graduated from Arts Educational which is one of the
country's best Theatre Training Colleges. Nia is one
of the dancers and is also understudy to Anne
Charleston as fairy and has ben touring in South
Pacific since she left college. Nia is another
former Swansea Search for a Star winner and we wish
both a successful future!
Swansea has a great reputation for turning out great
entertainers and the West End theatres, touring
companies and Pantos of Britain are filled with
performers from South Wales.
One of the highlights of the first week for the cast
(other than me falling over in the cooking scene)
was the annual visit to the children's ward at
Singleton Hospital.
Laden with selection boxes and presents we all
jammed into a mini bus in costume and headed off to
have some fun with the children and their families
plus the incredible staff!
One of the funniest moments came when we went into a
room of a young teenage lad who was sleeping after
an operation - he was fine by the way. His dad was
in the room with him and took a picture of his bed
surrounded by the beautiful young girls in the show
and one with Ray Meagher, as he's a huge fan of Home
and Away!
He knew nothing about it and his dad was looking
forward to showing what he had missed when he was
sleeping!
We're all looking forward to going to the children's
wards at Morriston Hospital early in the new year!
We had Christmas Day off and that meant long
journeys for many people to spend a little time with
their families.
There were two shows on Christmas Eve with the
second finishing at around 4.45pm.
After a quick Merry Christmas cars headed off to
places like Worthing, The Wirral, Derbyshire and
Gorseinon (well the new system in the city centre
has added five minutes to my journey!)
All those cars needed to be back by 1pm on Boxing
Day - and they were!
We have two and a half days off for New Year, which
will give me a chance to start learning lines for To
Hull, and Back, which is at the Grand at the end of
January - I start rehearsals the morning after Panto
finishes!
PART 5
04.01.08
So, Panto 2007
now becomes 2008 and everyone in the Dick
Whittington Company has asked that I send Happy New
Year Greetings to all thisisswansea.co.uk readers!
So Happy New Year! Job done!
We had a couple of days off for the new year which
was much appreciated and on our first day back we
had a special member of the audience at the evening
performance. Timmy Mallot who has been starring in
Panto in Porthcawl came along with his family to
watch the show.
I met Timmy down at the Liberty a couple of weeks
ago when he came along to the Horsham game and
promised to come along to watch the show when he had
a night off.
I have a real fondness for the Grand Pavillion
Porthcawl as I made my Panto debut there in 1992 and
spent four happy Panto seasons there!
We are still having fun at the Grand and there are
some scenes which I look forward to each performance
as they are still making me laugh.
The Spotted Dick sketch is never the same from one
performance to another and I love the response that
we get from the audience when the curtain opens on
Rik Gaynor (Idle Jack) and I doing our impression of
Kate Winslett and Leonardo Di Caprio in Titanic!
Some of those scenes make me laugh even when we're
on the third show of a three show day.
It's on those days that I really get to appreciate
the hard work put in by the Front of House and
cleaning staff at the Grand. Can you imagine the pop
corn and litter that is sometimes left by a family
audience of 700 plus people!
On a two show Saturday, the first show ends at
around 12.45pm and the staff have 45 minutes to
watch everyone leave, clean, and start welcoming the
next audience into the Theatre! What a team.
The Grand Theatre Club are also magnificent!
On days when there is only a short time between
shows they come in and serve sandwiches and drinks
in the Theatre Green Room! In fact, things happen at
the Grand that cast members have never experienced
at other venues and our local theatre has a
wonderful reputation amongst performers across the
UK.
We still have over two weeks to go and I'm pleased
to say that we are getting great audiences!
What has surprised are the places from which
audience members have come from - some countries in
which panto takes a little explaining!
I read out the parties and birthdays etc and this
year I've said hello to lots of people from America
and several Australians!
They'll all go home and explain about the show in
which the woman is played by a man and the man
played by a girl!
Anyway, there is still time to get your tickets -
don't miss Dick Whittington at the Swansea Grand!
PART
6 11.01.08
I Suppose that it
was a big relief for many parents when the children
when back to school this week. Even with the arrival
of many new toys and games over Christmas children
still seem to say "I'm bored, there's nothing to
do".
However, even with the children back in the
classroom there are still big crowds coming for both
matinee and evening performances.
We had quite an eventful weekend as, unfortunately,
our wonderful principle girl, Hayley Gallivan, had
to miss some performances because of a throat
infection.
Hayley was quite a trooper and battled on until she
really needed to take a couple of performances off
to recover.
So, at two hours' notice, Hayley's understudy
Michelle White was on stage as Alice Fitzwarren,
giving a faultless performance.
I was very impressed by Michelle's performance but
also by the way that everyone in the company,
particularly the ensemble of dancers, gave as much
help as they could to ensure that Michelle was
prepared for her unexpected performance.
For me, one of the highlights of Panto at the Grand
are the Panto Babes' Parties.
There are two groups of Panto Babes ??? Team T and
Team G who are pupils at the Grand Theatre Dance
School. Each year they hold two big parties in their
dressing room between shows with a great buffet of
party food supplied by parents. After the food they
lead everyone into the Green Room where they perform
a dance routine that they choreographed themselves.
On Wednesday the company also got to pay a visit to
the children's wards at Morriston Hospital.
This was our second hospital visit of the season and
it wonderful to meet the children who are in
hospital, their families and the wonderful staff who
care for them during their hospital stay.
There may be less than two weeks before the end of
the run but we still started off the week with a
rehearsal call, although I suspect that inside
knowledge that Choreographer Anna Marie Idle was
coming back to check on the show may have had
something to do with that!
Another treat this week is the Grand Theatre Club
'Meet the Cast Party'
This is a wonderful evening during which members of
the Grand Theatre Club (they do a great job
supporting the Theatre) get to meet all the Panto
cast over a great buffet).
Don't forget that Panto finishes on January 20.
If you've not seen the show yet then make sure that
you come along during the next week.
PART 7 January
18th.
It's incredible,
but after being together since December 3 the Panto
company will say au revoir to each other on Sunday
and after 53 shows the costumes, props and scenery
will be packed away until next time.
I'd like to day thanks to the great audiences that
have seen the show this year and that those who have
enjoyed watching a show will
Continue to go to
the theatre and enjoy live entertainment!
I have really enjoyed playing Sarah the Cook and
working with such a great company.
I have been fortunate to have worked with some
wonderful performers since my first panto in 1992 at
the Grand Pavillion Porthcawl.
In that time I've been in:
Three Aladdins;
Three Snow Whites;
Two Jack and the Beanstalks;
Two Dick Whittingtons;
Two Babes in the Woods;
Two Cinderellas;
One Peter Pan, and;
One Goldilocks.
It would be very difficult to list the best performers in various roles as
different actors have different interpretations to their characters.
For example, I could not choose between Gary Beadle and John Challis as my
favourite Panto Baddie.
John's Captain Hook was outstanding and Gary Fleshcreep was a joy to watch!
Mike Doyle will always be my favourite comedy character as we've worked on so
many shows together.
Gemma James will always be my favourite magical character whilst the Gallivans
Craig and Hayley top my list as Principal Boy and Principal Girl!
Barry Daniels, who has played Alderman Fitzwarrren, has been one of the best
Panto Dads I've ever worked with and Tommy the Cat
(Adam Gaskin), the best Panto
animal, please don't tell Cyril the Swan that I said that!
Finally, this year's dancers are the best I've every worked with and I expect
big things in Showbiz from Amy Flynn, Courtney Grolle, Michelle White, David
Barrett, Andrew Tillotson and dear Nia Jermin!
I must say thanks to everyone who gave to one of the four bucket collections
that we took during the run.
All over the country Panto casts have been going into the audience after the
show on up to four occasions to take a bucket collection for the Variety Club
who do a fantastic job helping disabled and disadvantaged children in Wales and
the rest of the UK.
I understand that we raised close to £1,000 altogether this year.
It won't be long until the Grand will be announcing next year's subject for
Panto!
I'm not holding out on you ??? Promise ???. I don't know!
However, I do know that whatever the subject, whoever the stars will be, it will
be a great show!
Thanks to our great audiences.
Now Sarah the Cook becomes Vicar Joe as rehearsals for To Hull and Back start on
Monday morning at 10.30am.
---------------------------------------
Dec 15 2007
Western Mail
Kevin Johns
celebrates Christmas with his family ... and his
panto family.
AS cliched as it may sound, I love Christmas. From
the point of view of my faith, Christmas is a very
important time for me and as a panto performer it
does give me a chance to have a day off and spend
time with my family, watch TV and chill out.
When I first
played panto in Porthcawl the show would open on
Boxing Day, so Christmas Day would be quite
stressful and I would have to find some time to run
through lines.
However, we now
open a week before Christmas so Christmas is fairly
stress free. In fact, Christmas Eve in panto is a
wonderful occasion. There’s a great atmosphere in
the theatre as everyone, company, crew, front of
house and the audience are all looking forward to
Christmas Day.
Between the shows
the panto company will meet for the Secret Santa and
after the show I love to walk around Swansea where
everyone is trying to grab that last-minute present.
This year on
Christmas Eve I’ll try to make it to a local carol
service and then home for a family Christmas. This
will the 21st Christmas since Rosie and I were
married and we have always spent it at home.
Our first
Christmas was in Colwyn Bay where we lived at the
time and a Welsh family Christmas is the same in the
North or South. Despite our children being grown up
– Owain is 20 and Bethan 17 – they still observe our
tradition of opening at least one present on
Christmas Eve before they go to bed. I think that
they still get up early on Christmas morning... the
good news is that they don’t run in and shout, “He’s
been, he’s been” anymore. Around mid-morning we’ll
pop around to my parents to swap presents and we’ll
get calls from Rosie’s family who live in Scotland.
If I’m honest
then Christmas lunch is not the main part of the day
for us.My daughter Bethan is a vegetarian, but we’ll
all sit down to lunch together and will observe that
great Welsh Christmas tradition of bringing out the
once-a-year glasses. We’ll enjoy a chicken from our
local butcher’s in Gorseinon and some of mam’s
stuffing and it will be soft drinks as none of us
drink alcohol. I guarantee that by 4pm I will be in
the land of nod. Part of my Christmas tradition is
having a Christmas Day sleep. It’s still a big
family day for our family.
However I’m pleased that my group of friends always
grows just before Christmas and this year I’m be
celebrating with a whole load of new friends from
panto.
My best Christmas
ever? It was that first Christmas as a married
couple on Colwyn Heights in The Bay. The best part
of it was taking a dinner and present round to an
old gentleman that we knew in the town who lived
alone and the look of joy on his face when he
received his unexpected visit. The memory of that
will always remind that it is better to give than
receive. Even at Christmas.
Nadolig Llawen!
Kevin Johns plays Sarah the Cook in
Dick Whittington at Swansea Grand Theatre from
December 19 to January 20. For more information on
this year’s Grand Theatre pantomime contact the box
office on 01792 475 715 or see
www.swanseagrand.co.uk
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