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It isn't often that I get to go out at night just to have fun. Tonight was definitely capital-F Fun, and then some.
Glyndwr University are hosting a pantomime, Aladdin, from December 9th to January 2nd. With an all star cast including Tim Vincent and Louis Emerick, dancing girls and Grease Is The Word finalist Hayley Clarke's stunning vocals, it was everything you'd expect of a traditional panto, with one particularly important feature I have to emphasise.
It was funny, as much for adults as for kids.
No; it was, in fact, hilarious. Outright LOL laugh a minute, with all the audience participation you'd expect of a good old rip-roaring pantomime. The kids in the audience needed a little training, but when they got into it, they raised the roof. Dancing girls, music, topical jokes, and of course the old traditional tale in a form which the original author of the One Thousand And One Nights And One Night would never recognise, but which he'd probably forgive anyway. :)
There were a number of local personages in the audience tonight, among them Aled Lewis Evans, local poet and author, and the Mayor of Wrexham and his lady wife. And then, of course, there was me, Alumni Ambassador to the University, representing past students. It turns out that long ago, when the place was simply The Tech, the Mayor himself had studied there. I would not be averse to talking to my contact in the the Alumni Association about considering extending membership of the Alumni Association to the Mayor. :)
EDIT +++ EDIT +++ EDIT
Yes, I almost forgot the charity - in this case, funds were being raised for the Hope House Hospice.
END EDIT +++ END EDIT +++ END EDIT
At one point, the protagonists got into trying to sing "Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life," Abanazar's pet ghostie would come along and lurk backstage, prompting cries of "GHOST!" from the audience and "HE'S BEHIND YOU!" from the older members of the audience. By the third or fourth appearance, you could not hear yourselves think due to the kids screaming so loudly.
The story followed its traditional pattern from the fairy tale. Abanazar would skulk about the stage, upstaging everyone - as he would - before flying off stage cackling while the audience booed (and one dissenting voice for dark magicians everywhere, sitting in the back, kept going "Yaay!" instead). If you've never read the story, not even to yourself, here is the children's version of the story.
My life has been full of technology, chasing after money, chasing after ideas, writing stories filled with Dark and Sinister Forces Man Was Not Meant To Know when I wasn't chasing them down myself; and until I decided to swallow my pride and any embarrassment at being a single guy in an audience full of parents and kids, I had no idea how much this had been weighing me down.
This simple, traditional, comical pantomime, with its story of simple virtues, wicked shenanigans and All's Well That Ends Well with Good Ultimately Triumphing Over Evil, just reminded me that once in a while, the soul of even the weariest, Duty-bound Chaotician can do with being lightened up a little. And it did. I felt like my eight year old self, still in short trousers, looking at the world with a wonder that the world had yet to begin to erode.
I would like to take a moment here in my blog to wish the entire Company, from Tim Vincent on down to the dancing girls, a spectacular run, packed houses and massive ratings. You all deserve it. Be inspirational. Merry Christmas.
Glyndwr University are hosting a pantomime, Aladdin, from December 9th to January 2nd. With an all star cast including Tim Vincent and Louis Emerick, dancing girls and Grease Is The Word finalist Hayley Clarke's stunning vocals, it was everything you'd expect of a traditional panto, with one particularly important feature I have to emphasise.
It was funny, as much for adults as for kids.
No; it was, in fact, hilarious. Outright LOL laugh a minute, with all the audience participation you'd expect of a good old rip-roaring pantomime. The kids in the audience needed a little training, but when they got into it, they raised the roof. Dancing girls, music, topical jokes, and of course the old traditional tale in a form which the original author of the One Thousand And One Nights And One Night would never recognise, but which he'd probably forgive anyway. :)
There were a number of local personages in the audience tonight, among them Aled Lewis Evans, local poet and author, and the Mayor of Wrexham and his lady wife. And then, of course, there was me, Alumni Ambassador to the University, representing past students. It turns out that long ago, when the place was simply The Tech, the Mayor himself had studied there. I would not be averse to talking to my contact in the the Alumni Association about considering extending membership of the Alumni Association to the Mayor. :)
EDIT +++ EDIT +++ EDIT
Yes, I almost forgot the charity - in this case, funds were being raised for the Hope House Hospice.
END EDIT +++ END EDIT +++ END EDIT
At one point, the protagonists got into trying to sing "Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life," Abanazar's pet ghostie would come along and lurk backstage, prompting cries of "GHOST!" from the audience and "HE'S BEHIND YOU!" from the older members of the audience. By the third or fourth appearance, you could not hear yourselves think due to the kids screaming so loudly.
The story followed its traditional pattern from the fairy tale. Abanazar would skulk about the stage, upstaging everyone - as he would - before flying off stage cackling while the audience booed (and one dissenting voice for dark magicians everywhere, sitting in the back, kept going "Yaay!" instead). If you've never read the story, not even to yourself, here is the children's version of the story.
My life has been full of technology, chasing after money, chasing after ideas, writing stories filled with Dark and Sinister Forces Man Was Not Meant To Know when I wasn't chasing them down myself; and until I decided to swallow my pride and any embarrassment at being a single guy in an audience full of parents and kids, I had no idea how much this had been weighing me down.
This simple, traditional, comical pantomime, with its story of simple virtues, wicked shenanigans and All's Well That Ends Well with Good Ultimately Triumphing Over Evil, just reminded me that once in a while, the soul of even the weariest, Duty-bound Chaotician can do with being lightened up a little. And it did. I felt like my eight year old self, still in short trousers, looking at the world with a wonder that the world had yet to begin to erode.
I would like to take a moment here in my blog to wish the entire Company, from Tim Vincent on down to the dancing girls, a spectacular run, packed houses and massive ratings. You all deserve it. Be inspirational. Merry Christmas.
