Panto called off at 11th hour
As the Examiner went to press on Monday evening we learned that the “larger than life surprises” that had been planned for this year’s panto in Mullingar Arts Centre would remain unseen.
It appears that government mandated Covid-19 restrictions mean The Snow Queen will not now go ahead.
A huge amount of work had gone in to preparing for the panto, but Sean Lynch, the director of Mullingar Arts Centre, says he is determined to offer something for the children of the area.
“We are going to have Santa’s Grotto this Sunday,” said Sean. “We’ll have Santa and members of the cast here to welcome families, and we’ll do it on a voluntary subscription basis, for charity.”
Visitors will pass through an ice cave in the lobby of the centre, transformed for the panto, and, although close contact is ruled out due to Covid-19 related restrictions, the big man in red will be there to say hello to the girls and boys.
Health protocols had occupied considerable time and thought alongside rehearsals for The Snow Queen, and management at the arts centre are confident they can keep everyone safe – whether at the panto that now will not be, or when visiting Santa.
They insist on face coverings for everyone – even the stage – has one... oh yes it has!
Sean was still keen for people to know about what had been planned: “This year’s pantomime, The Snow Queen, was a cross between Frozen, Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen, and a little bit of Snow White thrown in for good measure.
“We developed a story based around the original Snow Queen, about the wickedness in her, a quest of good over evil – as most pantomimes are.
“The crew was headed by Shane Bardon in the role of the dame that he’s now made his own, and due to the Covid restrictions, and the very restricted audience numbers, we were going to do far more performances, so the cast had doubled up in lots of cases, because they wouldn’t have been able to do 14 performances in four days.”
There is a possibility The Snow Queen can be resurrected for another time, but not now, it’s about providing something for local children in as safe a manner as possible. Santa’s Grotto will be open at Mullingar Arts Centre on Sunday December 6, 1.30-5.30pm, when the girls and boys will also meet some of the panto characters and enjoy the ice cave. (Voluntary charity donations accepted.)