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With two previous Berwick Kaler pantomime visits behind us we were determined to get tickets to this years pantomime at York Theatre Royal.  For more years than he perhaps cares to remember, Berwick Kaler has written and produced the show that has gone on to earn itself an enviable reputation across the country.  Highly recommended by The Gaurdian and said to be one of the top ten things to do at Christmas by The Times, the pantomime at York Theatre Royal is fast becoming a  tradition christmas highlight for us as well.

We booked our tickets for the Christmas Eve performance back in March this year. You have to book early to get good tickets – the last night always sells out within hours of going on sale.  We arrived a stroke before 7pm to have a pre show drink in the bar.  The place was packed and once again, it was very noticeable just how few children were actually there. Instead the vast majority of the audience were in their 30′s to 80′s and as we discovered from one chap highlighted by Berwick during the show, he had been returning every year for the last 28 years.

The usual mayhem and fun started and the next 2 1/2 hours quickly passed.  As this was our third visit, we are also now finding we understand a lot more of the in-jokes that litter the script.  With the same key actors every year, it is always funny to see them return to this pantomime, especially when you have seen them playing much more serious roles.  The last time we saw Suzy Cooper was in Harold Pinters The Homecoming; a thoroughly miserable play.

In the end, although it was not the best Berwick Kaler panto to date, we still had a great night and were especially pleased to see Berwick Kalers nephew Vincent Gray developing so nicely.  Great abs!

We look forward to returning in January when we will be taking Christine, Graham, Jessica and Marissa along with us for our second visit this year.

Extract from their press release

Humpty sat on a wall then had a fall.   Not much of a plot even by Kaler’s standards – or is it?

Let the team that brought you the acclaimed Dick Turpin stretch your imagination to Herculean proportions with a brand new hilarious version of this classic nursery rhyme.

Will the orphaned Humpty find a mother?   Can he protect the tiny Kingdom of Pantoloon from the evil Eggula? What happens when our Panto Heroes are forced to venture into the real world?

Booking for the panto event The Sunday Times consistently rates one of the top five attractions to see anywhere in the UK during the winter season.