Berkshire


<p>Panto season is go and while audiences lap up the magic, you can only imagine the hours that have gone into putting on such a bonkers show. Well, in a theatre far far away… or at South Street Arts Centre just 5 minutes from The Hexagon, you&#8217;ll find the cast of <em><a href="https://whatsonreading.com/venues/hexagon/whats-on/jack-and-beanstalk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jack and the Beanstalk</a></em>, panto plotting this year&#8217;s Christmas show. You won&#8217;t believe the behind the scenes goss.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/1-3.jpg" alt="Jack and the Beanstalk Reading Panto The HExagon" class="wp-image-48990" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/1-3.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/1-3-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/1-3-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/1-3-768x768.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/1-3-525x525.jpg 525w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/1-3-500x500.jpg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-12-days-of-christmas">12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS</h2>



<p>It&#8217;s a classic panto scene that usually involves &#8216;a bra that can only hold three&#8217;, but it&#8217;s also the number of days the team have to rehearse. The cast gather at South Street Arts Centre where Justin Fletcher – CBeebies answer to Harry Styles – and the other main actors run through the script. Justin has been written the panto script for Imagine Theatre&#8217;s last few Reading productions. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">THE PANTO VIRGIN</h2>



<p>There is a actor who has never seen a panto let alone appeared in one. It&#8217;s safe to say, Katsie Fong Frydenberg who plays Princess Juliana is in for a shock. The American actress trained in the UK, but before she had a chance to visit pantoland she got the call. &#8220;It&#8217;s a baptism of fire. I don&#8217;t know what&#8217;s going on most of the time, but everyone&#8217;s been very sweet by explaining the &#8216;It&#8217;s behind yous&#8217; and &#8216;Oh no I didn&#8217;ts&#8217;.&#8221;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/6-2.jpg" alt="Jack and the Beanstalk Reading Panto The HExagon" class="wp-image-48995" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/6-2.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/6-2-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/6-2-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/6-2-768x768.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/6-2-525x525.jpg 525w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/6-2-500x500.jpg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">EVERYONE LOVES A BAD BOY</h2>



<p>The handsome Ryan Alexander Full is back playing a Botemme. Last year, he made his Reading panto debut as the dastardly Bear Botemme in <em>Beauty and the Beast</em>. This year, he plays his evil twin (or distant relative, you decide), Walter Botemme. Ryan loves playing dress and up and bringing new facial hair to role, but like all actors the fear of remembering lines is the ghost at the panto feast. &#8220;It&#8217;s every actors greatest fear. Once we are in front of a live audience things are usually tweaked. But Imagine and Justin are so wise to any potential niggles, they already know where changes are needed.&#8221; We look forward to much moustache stroking and mwah-ha-ha-ing.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/2-3.jpg" alt="Jack and the Beanstalk Reading Panto The HExagon" class="wp-image-48991" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/2-3.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/2-3-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/2-3-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/2-3-768x768.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/2-3-525x525.jpg 525w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/2-3-500x500.jpg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">DIVA IN RESIDENCE</h2>



<p>You don&#8217;t get to be a dame without channeling your inner a diva. Paul Morse is back once again as our favourite 6ft saucepot. He has a particular sofa he likes in his Reading dressing room. &#8220;I always ask if ‘my sofa’ to be put in my dressing room. Doing two shows a day with all the costume changes is exhausting, so I like to have an afternoon nap. I’m 6ft 2ins tall, 7ft in heels and this sofa is perfect for that. </p>



<p>&#8220;I also always have a photograph of Princess Margaret on my dressing room door. She is the sassiest, naughtiest royal ever. I summon her spirit and curtsey to the picture before each performance. I also like to be dressed and ready way before curtain up, hear the orchestra warming up and have a good wee. I have so many layers on, that bit’s essential.&#8221;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/4-2.jpg" alt="Jack and the Beanstalk Reading Panto The HExagon COSTUMES" class="wp-image-48993" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/4-2.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/4-2-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/4-2-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/4-2-768x768.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/4-2-525x525.jpg 525w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/4-2-500x500.jpg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">COSTUME DRAMAS</h2>



<p>Costume fittings start in June, the dame is the only actor to get a new wardrobe and this year there are some massive wigs to contend with. Wardrobe technician Adelaide Green tells me that Imagine Theatre send all the outfits over to Reading at the beginning of the rehearsals. Her job is to sort, label and do all the alterations. &#8220;All the costumes are reversible, so we can&#8217;t really cut anything. Everyone has one main costume and one walk down [finale] costume. The Junior ensemble have extras, cockroach costumes and flower pods (*the mind boggles). </p>



<p>&#8220;Dame Paul Morse always has the most costume changes. This year he has seven, as we try not to send him back on stage in the same thing. Most of his costumes are massive and he has some enormous, fantastic wigs.&#8221;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">FAVOURITE FROCK?</h2>



<p>Adelaide didn&#8217;t want to spoil the fashion surprises, but she can&#8217;t wait for audiences to see Dame Paul&#8217;s walk down frock which is a giant igloo with penguins. Her favourite is what she calls Paul&#8217;s big bird costume. *we might be asking to borrow it for the Muddy Christmas party*.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">SHOT OF VODKA</h2>



<p>How to they keep all those costumes fresh as a daisy cow? Well, undertops and tights are worn by all, which gets the Persil non bio treatment after each show. They also sew in &#8216;pit pads&#8217; to some of the garments. But here&#8217;s a cleaning hack we all need in our toolkit: apparently vodka and tea tree/ Zoflora sprayed onto costumes kills bugs and make everyone smell peachy. Save on your dry cleaning bill and head out smelling like a fragrant V&amp;T.</p>



<p><em><a href="https://whatsonreading.com/venues/hexagon/whats-on/jack-and-beanstalk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jack and the Beanstalk in on The Hexagon Reading until 2 Jan</a></em></p>



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Snoop behind the scenes at Reading’s panto prep

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