A production of ‘Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves’ put on by the Whitley Bay Pantomime Society and held at the Playhouse Whitley Bay with ‘Ali Baba’ and the Dame ‘Mrs Ali Baba’ played by husband-and-wife Brian and Lilian Wilson, Brian Bell as ‘Cassim’ and Valaire Hopper as his nagging wife ‘Coggia’. A darkened auditorium with music coming from the orchestra pit, the pianist lit with a spotlight. Title: The Whitley Bay Pantomime Society. Ali Baba and he Forty Thieves The curtain is raised...

A production of ‘Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves’ put on by the Whitley Bay Pantomime Society and held at the Playhouse Whitley Bay with ‘Ali Baba’ and the Dame ‘Mrs Ali Baba’ played by husband-and-wife Brian and Lilian Wilson, Brian Bell as ‘Cassim’ and Valaire Hopper as his nagging wife ‘Coggia’. A darkened auditorium with music coming from the orchestra pit, the pianist lit with a spotlight. Title: The Whitley Bay Pantomime Society. Ali Baba and he Forty Thieves The curtain is raised for the first of several song and dance routines. Comedy duo Rowland Maughan and Len Hayden come out on stage to perform with Brian Bell’s ‘Cassim’. Len and Brian leave the stage as Roland leads the audience in song. He heads into the audience performing in the aisle. The production continues with Roland and Len moving a piano onto the stage, Roland pretends to play it. UV lights are used to show Ali Baba being transported by magic carpet. The curtains close and Rowland Maughan, Len Hayden and a third man come onto the stage to speak with audience. Two of them head into the audience to find lost mouse, they fall about the audience making everyone laugh. Finding the stuffed mouse, they head back onto the stage and leave, the production continues. The pantomime comes to an end and Rowland Maughan and Len Hayden come back onto stage to acknowledge some of the groups and parties in the theatre that night. They then invite onto the stage a group of birthday boys and girl, Rowlands sings ‘He’s Only a Poor Little Camel’ while some of the smaller children play with the pantomime camel. Each of the children are asked what they got for Christmas. The words for the song hang down above the stage, everyone sings along. Bags of sweet are handed out to the children as they leave the stage. The curtain is raised once more for a final dance routine after which the full cast comes out to take a bow to the audience after which Rowland Maugham steps forward to thank some of the cast and those working behind the scenes, bouquets are handed out. The film ends abruptly with Eric Scorer, one of the founders of the society comes onto the stage.