One person said: “We put the work in for months and months, it really has been a whole team effort.”
The cast of the Sleeping Beauty pantomime prepare for their December show at the Floral Pavilion in New Brighton(Image: Liverpool Echo)
In a little over a month one of Merseyside’s largest theatres will be putting on its biggest show. As the cast of the Floral Pavilion’s Sleeping Beauty prepare to entertain audiences from December 6, the ECHO was given a look behind the scenes.
In the coming weeks, the New Brighton theatre on the Wirral is getting ready to go all out for this year’s pantomime, with tickets on sale from £15. Inside the building, parts of the theatre will be transformed into a castle and a giant spinning wheel will also take up its position for panto season.
This year’s pantomime stars Loose Women, pop, and TV star Kéllé Bryan, as well as Olivier Award winner Cleo Demetriou, who is playing Princess Rose. Next year, the ECHO can also reveal Aladdin will be returning to the Floral after many years.
Kéllé, who will be performing on a Merseyside stage for the first time, said: “The show has got a fantastic cast, great songs people will know, and some really good crowd pleasers. I have lived in Liverpool for seven years so for me this is home. It’s so lovely to be at home at Christmas.”
Kéllé Bryan said she was excited to perform for audiences in just over a month(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Playing Fairy Snowfall, Kéllé said: “She’s definitely got some sass. She’s the element of the show that makes sure we get a happily ever after, which is essential in the panto.”
The pantomime, a collaboration with UK Productions, is the longest-running show the Floral puts on, bringing in about 20% of its business. In the past, this used to be as high as 50% but with 370 performances this year and more big shows in the next, the Floral is now bringing in much more income all year round.
The pantomime is one of the biggest productions the Floral Pavilion put on(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Julia Redhead, marketing and sales manager, said the pantomime was incredibly important, telling the ECHO: “It’s something that the whole family can enjoy, people of any age from three to 103. We know it’s something audiences look forward to and expect from here.
“From now on we really hit the ground running to be ready for Christmas. We put the work in for months and months; it really has been a whole team effort.”
Between the Floral and UK Productions, around 100 staff are needed to keep the show running, supported by about 50 volunteers who put in thousands of hours, something the theatre said they could not do without. Around 30,000 people are expected to come through the doors over the course of five weeks, with around 10,000 ice creams sold.
People might not realise it but as soon as the performances start at the beginning of December, the planning for the next year’s show begins. People are asked for their thoughts on the show, what they liked and did not like, though last year’s was so popular it got 4.9 out of 5.
Theatre Manager Pauline Campbell at the Floral Pavillion(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
In recent years, the Floral has made headlines due to uncertainty around its future, as it is owned and run by Wirral Council. However, staff said it was an exciting time looking ahead, with the theatre getting real traction with audiences who are expecting bigger shows and turning to the Floral to get that, including from Liverpool and other parts of Merseyside.
Pauline Campbell, the manager of the theatre, said: “We are really proud of what we are doing. It’s a great venue. We will always make the press for budget constraints because we look good on the front of the paper. We make a good story but actually the venue is on good solid ground.”
Next year, Pauline said there were exciting things coming down the line and they were in talks with top producers. The West End show The Last Laugh, imagining a meeting between classic comedians Tommy Cooper, Eric Morecambe and Bob Monkhouse, is coming next October.
Every year, the theatre brings in between 250,000 and 260,000 people to New Brighton supporting the bars and restaurants in the up-and-coming seaside resort. Despite this success, Pauline said they were keen to make sure the programme fits what people in Wirral want, with lower ticket prices helping it remain accessible.
She added: “It’s the most joyous experience. It’s bright. There’s always a good moral story that goes with those pantos.
“You know that you can trust what you are coming to see because we have been doing it for the last 60 years.
“It’s critical for every organisation that does panto. It’s critical and not just from financial stability. For most people, it’s their entry into theatre.
“If you get them young, you give them a love of culture and the arts for life. That starts for most kids with panto. It’s important to keep doing it and keep doing it well.
“It’s an expensive production. We do not scrimp on anything, the costumes, the lighting. If it gets them to come back, it is worth more than anything else.”