Hello! My name is Sophie and I play the Herald in our production of Cinderella. I’m chuffed to bits to be taking part in my 2nd panto with SMP, having joined the family last year as Prof Dwarf in Snow White. They all said I’d get hooked and they were right…here I am again!
Only four weeks to go until show week, eeeeeeek! All scenes, songs and dances are set and our task now is to piece everything together and begin working through the show in detail, recapping and polishing it until it’s ready to wow you all at our brand new venue, Chingford Assembly Hall.
This is incredibly exciting as it means we have now got to the point where we are able to see our show begin to take it’s shape and let me tell you…it’s looking superb!
This week marked our first Sunday rehearsal, wahooo! As always, treats were in abundance…provided generously by Kieran Segal the birthday boy! (See below for his epic birthday dancing).
We ate birthday sweets, had our Front of House mugshots taken by the awesome Yiltan, ate more sweets, ran the show, ate some more sweets, and best of all, finally got the chance to see each other in all of our FABULOUS costumes! Which will hopefully still fit us in show week, after scoffing all those sweets…
It really is magical to see how each character pops to life once they are in their costumes. Once again this year they have been so carefully crafted and designed by our very talented costume team Ellie, Debbie and Fay, who work tirelessly to ensure we all look beautiful onstage! Debatable as far as the ugly sisters are concerned, but of course that has nothing to do with what they are wearing!
Also working hard behind the scenes this week, are our props peaches! AKA the lovely Debbie, Wendy and Jo who have been busy making and gathering all the bits and bobs we need throughout the performance, which means we’re now able to start practicing with them! Yay!
A few of us have been asked to learn and showcase some new skills in this production, I myself, as a regal horn blower (it’s harder than it looks!) On Sunday I took the opportunity of receiving a blowing lesson from the master tooter Luke Clow. After my toot-turial, I can proudly say I have managed to sound a tiny toot, so I still have quite a way to go until up to a royal standard! I’ve pledged to practice every morning until show week. My housemates will be so pleased.
Our Buttons on the other hand, the showman of many talents, Luke Ricketts, is already nailing his party trick of the performance (see video below)…but you’ll have to come along to see if he can pull it off on the night!
We’re having such a great time working on Cinderella, and we literally couldn’t have asked for a better production team to bring this panto to life. We are so lucky this year to have a trio of SMP legends at the helm, who have fused their creativity together to make a truly spectacular show. Who better person to direct us than the writer himself…the mighty Warren McWilliams, whose hilarious script is packed full of brilliant gags the whole family will love! Our fabulous choreographer Miss Fay, has done such an amazing job coming up with such fun and beautiful dances sequences which showcases so much of the wonderful twirly talent amongst our cast. To top it off, once again we have Mike the Musical Maestro to ensure we sound top notch!
Our wonderful cast are a great big mix of veterans, fresh faces, those of us in-between, and of course our wonderful junior chorus who are adding such a great dynamic to the show! The kids really are smashing it and always bring with them their big, infectious smiles! Collectively, we’re having a blast, working hard and laughing our way through each rehearsal!
If you haven’t got your tickets booked yet – now is the time! You’re in for such a treat. Our pantomime is packed full of spectacular singing and dance numbers and brilliant comedy from hilariously entertaining characters. With it being SMP’s first show in Chingfordonia….it really is extra special. So what are you waiting for??!! Book your tickets now before it’s too late!
Tickets are on sale and you can book online by clicking the banner below. To book wheelchair seats or for information about group bookings please contact the box office on 07708 708 062 or by email on SMPTickets@hotmail.com Thank you!
