THE new year heralds a new start for Adur Theatre Company (ATC) following the devastating fire which gutted the stage in the Harper Hall at the Shoreham Centre last year.
The company relocated to the Barn Theatre, Southwick, for Panto at the OK Corral in January and for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in June – but now plans a triumphant return to its usual venue in January, 2009, with The Panto of the Opera.
The panto, by Stuart Ardern, revisits The Phantom of the Opera, a French literary classic by Gaston Leroux, adapted as a musical for Broadway and the West End by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Auditions have been held and the cast selected, with some new faces joining the company, as well as the welcome return of seasoned members, including Hilary "H" Reeves in the role of Dame.
Madame ZolaPrincipal boy Raoul is to be played by new ATC member Burton Munday, of Dolphin Road, Shoreham.
Madame Zola, owner of the ill-fated Paris Opera House, where the panto is set, is played by Rosie Snow, whom many will remember for her wonderful portrayal of Sybil Fawlty in ATC's acclaimed production of Fawlty Towers at the Shoreham Centre in 2007.
Paul Lynn plays moustachioed rotter and corrupter of morals, Frank Lee, and is joined by comedy duo Julian Batstone and Tom Ronan, who play his two henchmen, Pure and Simple.
Completing the line up of main characters are Roger Deller, as artist Toulouse-Lautrec, Fiona Cameron, as operatic diva Carlotta Vermicelli, and Ben Cassan as jobsworth health and safety inspector E. A. Pushpimple.
Panto of the OperaThe identity of the Phantom himself remains a closely guarded secret, to be revealed only in the closing scenes of the panto.
The ATC chorus line is complemented each year by youngsters from The Beach Theatre School of Dance, who are already rehearsing their routines – always a highlight of each performance.
Directing the panto is Shoreham Centre trustee and ATC chairman David Frost.
Matthew Stevenson -Adams is musical director, with choreography by Sarah Frost and Jenny Milner.
Tickets, priced at £8, are available now on 01273 591933.
The Panto of the Opera runs from Thursday, January 29, to Saturday, January 31, at 7.30pm, with a matinée on the Saturday at 2.30pm.
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