Behind the scenes at Bradford Alhambra panto

Yorkshire’s biggest pantomime - Jack and the Beanstalk - opened in December and comes to a close on Sunday, January 22.

Panto legend Billy Pearce is joined by Emmerdale star Danny Miller and RuPaul’s Drag Race UK runner-up Divina De Campo, with West End performers Aisha Jawando, Jocasta Almgill and Bradford panto favourite Sarah Goggin.

Aisha Jawando and Danny Miller in the panto (Image: Newsquest)

So what it takes to bring this lavish production, with its technical wizardry and special effects, to life at Bradford’s Alhambra Theatre?A backstage army comprising production crew and venue staff work tirelessly during rehearsals and every performance to deliver the gigantic show. Here’s a peek behind the scenes to see how it’s done:

* The production - set, costumes, lighting and equipment - arrived on 8ft x 45ft wagons over three days;

* Alhambra crew worked 1,050 hours in the first week on the fit up , rehearsals and shows;

* A total of 206 lamps have been rigged in the auditorium and on stage;

* 49 flying bars out of the 58 bars in the theatre are used for the panto - the heaviest piece flown is 360kg (360 x 1kg bags of sugar);

* The deputy stage manager says “Go!” 284 times during each show; giving lighting, pyro, flying, sound and the crew their cues - that’s 20,164 times over the entire run;

* 17 pyrotechnics are used in each performance - a total of 1,207;

* There are 1,100 feathers on costumes worn in the panto, and 36,000 beanstalk leaves fall across the audience in every show;

* It will take 17 crew members an estimated 12 hours each overnight to dismantle and pack the panto into the eight wagons to leave the stage clear for the next production;

* During the panto, the Alhambra’s food and beverage team has sold enough drinks to fill a standard-sized swimming pool and an estimated 7,220 merchandise items will have been sold by the end of the run, including the Pat the Cow toy;

* Approximately 32,200 confectionary items have been sold by the Kiosk team so far.

* A NEW season of live music at the Midland Hotel looks set to brighten up Sunday afternoons over winter.

The sessions, a partnership between Tony Sykes Productions and the hotel, get underway with Dr Jive prescribing rock ‘n’ roll on Sunday, January 29. The event includes a three-course Sunday lunch followed by swing, doo-wop, boogie and rock ‘n’ roll hits performed live, then a DJ set until 4pm.

On Saturday, February 11 there’s a Valentine’s Dinner with a Michael Buble tribute act, a four-course meal and music from the DJ. And on Sunday, February 12 Billy Pearce takes to the stage with his stand-up show (adults only). The event also includes a set by local singer Sadie.

Sunday, February 26 sees soul and Motown hits by Cris Quammie, with Sunday lunch followed by a session of Northern Soul hits from Soul Sensation, and more Motown and Northern Soul from the DJ.

Says Ton: “Sunday afternoon events are perfect for those who love to socialise, dance or have a laugh without a late night.” To book call (01274) 735735 or email events@midland-hotel-bradford.co.uk

* OVER at Keighley Playhouse, Miss Shepherd has parked up and is refusing to leave...

Alan Bennett’s acclaimed comedy The Lady in the Van runs at the Playhouse from January 23-28. Says director Robin Martin: “It is frequently said that fact is stranger than fiction. We’re driving in the New Year with the mostly true story of Miss Shepherd, an offbeat woman of uncertain origins who rocked up, unannounced, in the front garden of Alan Bennett’s London residency and made herself at home. She ‘temporarily’ parked her broken-down van on his drive and ‘temporary’ turned into 15 years and an unlikely friendship between the playwright and the old woman whose outlook on life was, to put it mildly, unique.”

Alison Rooks and Elliott Matthews in The Lady in the Van (Image: Submitted)

The Lady in the Van is, says Robin, as much about Bennett as it is about Miss Shepherd: “It’s not that he feels sorry for her, or that allowing her to stay year after year is some act of saintly charity, it’s much more ambiguous. Gradually the play reveals Miss Shepherd’s back-story.” For tickets call 07599 890769.

* ESTABLISHED as a firm favourite in Matthew Bourne’s repertoire, the award-winning Sleeping Beauty re-awakens in Bradford next month. Enter a wondrous world of magical fairies and vampires, where the timeless tale of good vs evil is turned upside-down, into a supernatural love story.

Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty is heading for town. Pic: Johan Persson (Image: Submitted)

With a powerful score by Tchaikovsky, and sumptuous sets and costumes, the beloved fairy tale is brought to life at the Alhambra from February 21-25 by Bourne’s fabulous New Adventures company as a dazzling gothic romance set in halcyon days of the late Edwardian era through to modern times.

* NORTHERN Ballet’s The Great Gatsby returns to theatres in March, opening at Leeds Grand Theatre.

The show re-imagines F Scott Fitzgerald’s novel set in New York’s Long Island in the 1920s. Jay Gatsby is a mysterious millionaire with a secret past and a penchant for lavish parties. As the Champagne flows, glamour and romance give way to jealousy and tragedy. Because in Prohibition-era New York, everybody has something to hide...

Northern Ballet's The Great Gatsby. Pic: Caroline Holden (Image: Submitted)

The production is choreographed by Northern Ballet’s former Artistic Director David Nixon and features lavish sets and dazzling Chanel-inspired costumes.

Visit northernballet.com/gatsby