Beginning this afternoon and continuing until next weekend, the Portlaoise Pantomime society will go centre stage in the Dunamaise Arts Centre with Goldilocks and the Three Beours.
It is the 41st performance for the brilliant local group, who have been entertaining audiences now since they began in the mid 1980s.
The names and faces of the characters on stage may have changed over the years but it’s now a well-established hardy annual in Laois. Just as night follows day, the Portlaoise Panto will be the biggest show in town in the month of January.
In an epic run for an amateur group, they are putting on 11 shows over eight days. Things get underway with the matinee this afternoon, followed by the evening show and it is the same again tomorrow (Sunday).
They are then on every night during the week before finishing with another matinee and evening performance next Saturday.
In all, over 2,500 people will come through the doors of the Dunamaise over the eight days. It’s a fair operation in every sense.
We were among a small group in the Dunamaise on Thursday evening for what was their final full dress rehearsal before the show opens. Friday is a much-needed down day before it all kicks off.
As ever it’s a typically colourful all-singing, all-dancing performance, peppered with good humour, local references and on-trend engagement with the audience.
The larger-than-life Christy Bannon is a wonderful narrator while Ciara Finlay and Ellen O’Driscoll are excellent in the lead roles of Little Red Riding Hood and Goldilocks respectively.
The three Beours – Emma Phelan, Ciara Dollard and Donal Brennan – are the comedy roles in a comedy performance. Sophie Corder is The Wolf, Phil Johnson is the Ringmaster, Gillian Haslam is Grandmama, Sean O’Neill is WAE, Amy Hanton is Cilla Crack and the Fortune Teller and Derek McGinn is Graham.
There is also two lively and excellent chorus groups of adults and kids. The kids are split into red and blue teams, that alternate each night.
The script was written by Rory Chadwick, the show is directed by Richard Mansworth, musical direction is by Sarah Troy and choreography by Lea Carroll. Musical director is Desrae Mullen.
Tickets (adults €24 and children €18) are available from online from the Dunamaise Arts Centre or by calling 057 8663355.
Photographer Paul Dargan got a selection of images which you can check out.
