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BABES IN THE WOOD (JANUARY 1965) |
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Despite the fact that our last Pantomime was such a great success, its author (Robin Aldworth) said that he could not devote sufficient time to write another. But ours is a Society which refuses to get stuck, and with reckless abandon Ron Jager offered to write the next one. |
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Some of our members will recall that Ron is quite an old member - in terms of years with the Society - for he first made his debut in April 1947 as a Lord, and Mary Robertson (now his wife) a Lady-In-Waiting. Also co-starring with them was Kenneth Newell as Macheath in “The Beggar's Opera”, so you see Ron is quite well-known to us, and after an absence of a few years, is back with us once again. |
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Writing the script for the Pantomime involved him in months of hard work with a bevy of typists to turn out the completed libretto, but what a rewarding effort it turned out to be. Although financially it did not top the takings of our last Panto, it really was excellent entertainment, and one which we all enjoyed under Ron's producing. |
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The costumes were gay and shone to great advantage under the inspiring lighting we have come to expect from Michael Bartlett - I really don't know what we would do without his splendid colour effects. Most memorable was the red glow he produced for the Ritual Fire Dance, and many other unusual things he, and also Ron Davis, manage to think up in a most original manner. It was notably a happy Show, from both sides of the footlights, and it moved at a good pace, including all the necessary ingredients for the enjoyment of children and adults alike. A new Principal Boy emerged in the person of Jean MacLaren; shapely, graceful and confident, she soon became a friend of all the children at the first matinee. Her son Neil made his debut as Randolph the Ram, with great success. |
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We hope this will be our last show at Lafone School, as the new Assembly Hall in Feltham is our next target, combining much better facilities with the fact that it is situated on a bus route, and therefore much more accessible than our previous building. |
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DORIS SEAMAN |