Panto season is here again! (From Bucks Free Press)

Panto season is here again!

4:45pm Monday 7th December 2009

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Well, here we are again, the run up to Christmas, and various theatres around the county are putting their best feet forward, and proudly advertising their pantos (oh no they aren't!) I will admit to a fondness for pantomime, having spent many happy years going to them as a child, and reaching the dizzy heights of playing Hanky Panky in a theatre company's community production of 'Aladdin'. Fantastic fun.

So what do we have on offer in 2009? Well, firstly, we have 'Aladdin' at the Swan, starring a rather alarmingly orange Shane Ritchie. Now, I may come across as hideously agist at this point, but I am rather firmly of the opinion that Aladdin is a traditionally young 'lad'. Late teens, early 20's at a push. For some reason, the idea of 'principal boy' being played by a girl has rather fallen by the wayside - the glory days of Bonnie Langford have gone, maybe no one wanted to step into her thigh-slapping shoes? But I digress. My point is that I do not think a 40-something perma-tanned man should be playing Aladdin. Hollyoaks actors always seem to crop up when a tacky role needs filling, I would honestly even prefer one of them. I would start musing on Linda Lusardi being relegated to the Wicked Queen rather than Snow White last year, but I suspect that might have been through choice - Snow White is a rather insipid role - playing villainesses is always more fun than heroines.

There are a couple of smaller pantos as well - they tend to be rather fun - a couple of productions of Beauty and the Beast in Chesham and Milton Keynes, Snow White at Centre Theatre, Bourne End.

But I am a shallow little person, and so only one panto has drawn me in this year. I will admit, when I heard that a certain person was appearing in Milton Keynes' Cinderella I knew that there was no choice for me.

You see, as a teenager, I was a huge boyband fan (to be honest, I still am, but the boybands of today do not appeal to me in the same way as those of yesteryear - my loyalties remain the same as they were 10 years ago). When I was 13 years old, I came across a new band. Take That had been gone for three years, and my broken heart was ready to move on. Et voila. A fantastic foursome called a1. Mark Read, Paul Marazzi, Christian Ingebritzen and Ben Adams. I was hooked. I bought the singles, I bought the albums. Smash Hits and Top of the Pops (and Live and Kicking) magazines were filled with them, and I religiously watched every Saturday morning television appearance they made. Until that day in 2002. Paul had left, and the rest of the boys called it a day.

Ben Adams is now appearing in Cinderella. I am not ashamed to admit that I am wildly excited. My poor best friend and very patient boyfriend are both accompanying me next Monday, as I have snagged the last three seats in the stalls. I will probably revert to being that teenage girl, crush on Ben Adams firmly in place. I think that Best Friend and Boyfriend are going to plonk me on the end of the aisle and pretend to be with the people sitting on their other side. For those not so Ben-focussed, Milton Keynes has grouped together an impressive cast, including Anthea Turner, Bobby Davro and Mickey Rooney, who Longsuffering Boyfriend informed me, I seem to recall in my excited haze, was in silent movies and is an impressive 89 years old. I had never heard of him, because apparently I live my life in a fog of boybands and admin.

So yes. I am boycotting my more local panto out of vague protest, but also because my teenage icon is going to be at Milton Keynes.

If I have missed any pantos (the internet wasn't particularly useful when searching for 'pantos in Bucks' - it preferred to offer me 2005 - 2006's options) then please please give them a mention - informed choice is paramount!