Being a fan of going to the theatre, and lucky enough to live easy travel distance to London’s West End, I have an annual tradition of going to see pantomime at the London Palladium (some may argue this to be the Queen of Panto, or should that be ‘Dame’?). It all started seven years ago when a friend and I decided to take advantage of discounted tickets to see what all the fuss was about. We booked for the first week of 2017 so as to have something to look forward to after the joy and festivities of Christmas quickly fades and beat the January blues. We weren’t to be disappointed! I half expected to feel out of place not arriving with any children in tow but the audience was mostly adults of all ages. The theme was Cinderella and starred memorable performances from Julian “Dandini” Clary and Paul “Baroness Hardup” O’Grady (RIP). I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen a pantomime but it must have been as a young child at a local production no doubt. I’m pretty certain it wouldn’t have been quite as hilarious and contain half as much innuendo as the Palladium version. Mind you, fans of Mr Clary would probably expect nothing less. We had such a great time that we’ve been back every year since (Covid allowing). Each year, the costumes get bigger and better, the staging more impressive, and although some of the jokes become a bit familiar year in year out, it’s still one of the funniest nights out you’ll have … “oh no it isn’t” I hear you cry, “oh yes it is” (etc etc)!!
Why write a Christmas themed blog in February when Spring is fast approaching?? Well, it won’t be long before details emerge of the 2024 offering and I’m already signed up to the newsletter on updates when tickets go on sale ready for this year!
Whenever I travel back home, my colleague Meg instructs me to take photos of my dogs and show them to her immediately on my return to the office. As this is a timely topic due to my trip for the long weekend, please meet my furry friends. Daisy, our gentle Bernese Mountain Dog, and Lexi, […]
It was around June 2022 when one evening my wife said, “that’s it let’s sell our house and buy some nice apartment by the sea”. While I was obviously shocked at such a sudden and bold statement to which I admit I was quite reluctant to accept, I must admit she was quite right, and […]
Whenever I have been close to famous actors, royalty or rock stars in the past, I have not been one to ask for a photograph, but last July that changed when I was on the same plane with a very famous actor from London to Athens. Having said that, I had not recognized the tall […]