to add an item to your Itinerary basket.
Image by Phil Tragen
As Pinocchio enters its final week of performances at the Alhambra Theatre (closes on Sunday 19 January), we thought we’d take a little look behind the scenes and share what it takes to deliver the annual pantomime in Bradford.
Panto legend, Billy Pearce, leads the star-studded line-up of the festive spectacular as Geppetto, alongside Coronation Street star Chris Gascoyne as the evil Stromboli; and Drag Superstar Courtney Act as the Blue Faerie. They are joined by panto veteran Steve Arnott (Dame Rita), Ewan Goddard (in the titular role of Pinocchio), West Yorkshire local Sarah Pearson (Phyllis The Fox), Leeds-born Monique Ashe-Palmer (Kitty The Cat), and Nicholas McLean (Jiminy Cricket).
To deliver this “this warm-hearted show” (North West End), which is packed with “… breathtaking story book sets, lavish costumes, side-splitting comedy and amazing special effects.” (Yorkshire Post), there is an army of backstage people, production crew and venue staff who work tirelessly during rehearsals and every performance to bring this gigantic show to life. Here’s a peek behind the scenes into what audiences might not know:
• The set, effects, lighting and sound arrived on 6 wagons which were unloaded and off site within 2.5 days of the first one being unloaded.
• 150 lamps have been rigged/ hung in the auditorium and on stage to light the panto this year - 106 are LED, 44 are generic. The LED lamps can change colour with 3000+ assorted colour options. • There are 857 lighting cues in the show.
• 25 cloths have been hung on bars to be flown in the show.
• It will take the technical team around 11 hours to pack everything away and send back to the stores at the end of the last performance on 19 January.
• There are 48 moons that appear on the set, on cloths and on costumes.
• There are 45 pyros (special stage fireworks) used in each show (our most yet!) - that is 3,240 over the run.
• There are a total of 98 costume-to-costume changes in each show.
• The plane that Geppetto flies in uses left-over vegetables to power it in to the air. Special dispensation is given from Leeds Bradford International airport to fly twice a day……
• During the panto so far, the Food & Beverage team has sold enough draught beer and cider for the taps to have been running for over 18 hours straight.
• 2,870 merchandise items have been sold and 2,634 programmes so far (with 1 week to go!).
• The Kiosk team has sold 16,513 confectionary items, including chocolate, sweets, and soft drinks; and 17,863 ice creams have been enjoyed by audiences in the depths of winter!
The show also features speciality act Spark Fire Dance, comprising Grace Billings and Dave Knox. Founded as a Cirque du Soliel specialist act, Spark Fire Dance is an electrifying combination of powerful fire manipulation, risqué circus stunts, and jaw dropping special effects that you will feel from your seat!
The annual Alhambra Theatre pantomime brings together the work of over 30 technical and production staff, 20 performers and musicians. Plus, there are up to an additional 160 venue staff, including food & beverage, box office, cleaning, front of house and stage-door teams, who work to ensure the venue is ready to open its doors to the public during the run of pantomime.
Pinocchio - Alhambra Theatre, Bradford
NOW OPEN – runs until Sunday 19 January 2025
Tickets: from £18.75 (inclusive of booking fees)
Call the Box Office on 01274 432000 or visit bradford-theatres.co.uk
Related
Comments
Comments are disabled for this post.
