Cast interview for 2024 panto Aladdin

Derry Journal

Aladdin performs at the Millennium Forum from Fri November 29 until Tues December 31.  Tickets are now available and are priced from £12.50.

Transcript

00:00Could you introduce yourselves and who you're playing in Aladdin?

00:04My name is Niamh Morrison and I'm playing the Genie of the Lamp.

00:07Hi, my name is Karen Hawthorne and I'm playing Abanazar.

00:10I'm Lily O'Regan, I'm playing the Spirit of the Ring.

00:13Wow, class. And can you tell me a wee bit about Aladdin?

00:16You know, it's every year a million performers on a big show.

00:19What's so different about Aladdin this year?

00:22Aladdin itself, so they sort of try and rotate them,

00:25so it hasn't been done in quite a long time.

00:27Aladdin itself is a really old story,

00:30all the kids know it, they know about the lamp,

00:32they know what to do, they know what to shout out,

00:35but the parents know it as well.

00:37There was a remake of the film not too long ago as well,

00:40so it's quite current, so the material's quite fresh as well.

00:43So we just have fun with it.

00:45What's fun about something that comes when you're working on it here?

00:48Fun?

00:49Yeah.

00:50Yeah.

00:51Definitely.

00:53Yeah.

00:54Yeah.

00:55Anyone?

00:57Is this your first Pantou, or have you been on Pantou before?

01:00This is my first Pantou ever on here, and yours as well.

01:03Yeah, this is my... Actually, this will be my first one, yeah,

01:06as an adult it will be, yeah.

01:08What's it like being on your first Pantou?

01:10Overwhelming.

01:11It's been brilliant so far, yeah.

01:13In a good way.

01:14It's been brilliant, hasn't it?

01:16No, it has. It's been a lot of fun.

01:18Everybody's great, everybody's very welcoming,

01:20because you're coming under a cast that have been together for a while, really.

01:25But...

01:26It's been very fun. We're having a great time.

01:28Yeah, it's been fab.

01:29Yeah, you just immediately feel that vibe,

01:31and everybody's just here for a good time,

01:33and the energy's always up, and you're...

01:35Yeah, it's just been so welcoming, hasn't it?

01:37Yeah.

01:38And, no, it's been great.

01:39So, yeah, couldn't have asked for anything more, really.

01:41Yeah.

01:42It's been good fun, yeah.

01:43You've been on one before?

01:44I've been here from 2019.

01:46Wow.

01:47Yeah, so when I was 15 I started...

01:49I started, so I've been here for a wee while.

01:51But, yeah, it's lovely.

01:53The cast sort of changes, but there's always a nice feel to it,

01:56because everyone's quite local,

01:58and even when you get new people in,

02:00somebody maybe knows them, or they're a friend of a friend,

02:02so it's quite nice, yeah.

02:04Can you tell me, is it important to you to be a part of Ponzi

02:07because it brings people and families together,

02:09especially around Christmastime?

02:11Yeah.

02:12I think that's definitely a big part of it, anyway.

02:14It's always fun to, like, you see the waves,

02:16you hear the noise is immeasurable, it's insane.

02:20But it's great that we can also branch out

02:22to, like, all communities.

02:23We've got how many accessible performances this year?

02:25We've got three?

02:26I think there's three, yeah.

02:27Three?

02:28We have a relaxed performance, which is also dementia-friendly,

02:32and we have an audio-described performance this year as well.

02:36Is there another? What am I missing?

02:38There's another one.

02:39Signed?

02:40Yeah.

02:42Yes, there's a captioned one as well.

02:44Our assistant offstage just told us.

02:46So, yeah, it's really good.

02:48So you've got all different types of people coming.

02:50We'll get schools in the morning,

02:52and then you'll find that those kids go home and say,

02:54we went to the Panto, we have to go again,

02:56and then their family will maybe start a wee tradition

02:58where they start to come, and it's just lovely.

03:00Class.

03:01Does being in the Panto put you in the Christmas spirit?

03:04Oh, yeah.

03:05Definitely.

03:06Oh, my God, yes.

03:07Yeah, yeah.

03:08You can't not.

03:09We're musical numbers, and singing and dancing,

03:11and the script's hilarious, and every day is different.

03:14Oh, yeah, totally.

03:15And now the light's going up in Derry,

03:16and it's all getting real,

03:17and you're starting to see the sets and the glitzy costumes.

03:19Panto, to me, is Christmas, you know,

03:21getting together with your family.

03:22But the difficulty is, you guys are nice.

03:24You get to be nice all year.

03:26Like, I spend the whole time being like,

03:28eh, don't judge.

03:29Oh, but we love it, Karen.

03:30Yeah, it's a bit of a different one for me,

03:32because they all hate me.

03:33That's okay.

03:34They love to hate you.

03:35They loved and they do love to hate me.

03:37The cast will play in a ball.

03:38Absolutely.

03:39I know.

03:40Poor me.

03:41Oh.

03:42Some feelings that you're experiencing now,

03:44on the run-up, I mean, it's not too far away now.

03:46I know.

03:47It's a week today.

03:48Excited, but nervous.

03:50Bit nervous.

03:51Bit nervous at the minute,

03:52but I'm excited,

03:53because I would have worked the Panto as an usher last year,

03:56so now I've been on the other side of it.

03:58I'm so ready for, like, the energy of the kids,

04:00and it's going to be amazing.

04:02I can't wait now.

04:03Oh, my gosh, I'm so excited.

04:05I just haven't thought, oh, it's next week.

04:07You know, you just get so,

04:08you're just going day by day,

04:10and you think, oh, yeah,

04:11and then you go, oh, my gosh, no, it's next week.

04:12And it's a long stint, really.

04:13You're the whole of December,

04:1429th to the 31st.

04:17So I'm thinking, oh, my gosh,

04:18it's a marathon, really, not a sprint,

04:19so it's really just kind of pacing yourself

04:21through those shows.

04:23I just can't wait.

04:24I'm just so excited just to see everyone's faces

04:26and hear that crowd.

04:27I think that will give us a new kind of lease of life

04:29as we go forward into the shows, really.

04:31Yeah.

04:32I'm excited.

04:33It's started to come together.

04:34You always have that, like,

04:35everyone rehearses separately,

04:36and then once you piece it together,

04:38it's its own thing.

04:39It becomes like a body,

04:41and that's fine,

04:42and then we go into tech.

04:43Once the curtain opens on that first show

04:46and that wave of noise hits you,

04:48you're like, oh, okay.

04:50Now it's Christmas.

04:51This is it.

04:52Yeah, that's where we are.

04:53So, yeah.

04:54And do you have a message

04:55for people coming to see The Phantom this year,

04:57or maybe a message for people

04:58who've never actually seen The Phantom before?

05:01Get ready to scream your loudest.

05:03I know.

05:04Get stuck in.

05:05Get ready to participate.

05:07Yeah.

05:08You're gonna have a lot of fun.

05:09Yeah.

05:10That's the main thing.

05:11Yeah.

05:12It's so much fun.

05:13And we know when we're having fun,

05:14they're having fun.

05:15Yeah.

05:16So, that's the main point.

05:17Be ready.

05:18And get involved,

05:19because there's lots of audience.

05:20Yeah.

05:21So, we're relying on you guys

05:22as much as you do.

05:23We need you.

05:24We need you.

05:25We do.

05:26Yeah.

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