Theatre and dance

CATS panto set to sparkle

By Caroline Cook
November 22, 2012

CATS present Sleeping Beauty
Thursday, November 29, to Saturday, December 1
Crowthorne Parish Hall, Heath Hill Road South
(0118) 973 7982

A trio of fairies will be dusting Crowthorne with a layer of sparkling fairy dust for this year’s Crowthorne Amateur Theatrical Society pantomime.

The company, known as CATS for short, is bringing its version of Sleeping Beauty to the stage next week.

It is the second time CATS will be performing the magical tale with some members reprising their original roles.

“We did this panto in 1995 so it’s a return for us,” says director Angie Chitty. “Our writer Jon Keen is back as Dame Molly Mutto and I starred in the 1995 panto as half of the comedy duo, so it’s a revival for lots of us. But it is a totally different production now.”

The pantomime begins at a party as King Horace (David Rhodes) and Queen Penelope (Claire Shenton-Taylor) celebrate the birth of the beautiful princess Rosalynd (Polly Gwinnet).

But when the jealous fairy Malaria (Kim Halliday) gets wind of the birth she curses the child, leaving her in an eternal sleep.

Can the good fairies Lobelia, Azalea and Camelia thwart her evil doings and will Prince Ferdinand (Nyck Moore) be able to save the day?

As well as telling the magical tale CATS will also be bringing some classic panto fun to the performance each night.

“We have a game show within the show which is good fun,” adds Angie. “The rehearsals are all going well and everyone is enjoying themselves which is good.

“We got lots of music and traditional panto bits in there as well.

“The CATS panto sort of kicks off the festive season for us. We always do ours in November to get it done and then we can all start our Christmas shopping!”

Tickets for the show are £8.50 or £7 for concessions. To book contact the box office for visit Playhouse Cleaners, Bewitched and Whimsical in Crowthorne.

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