A production of ‘Babes in the Woods’ put on by the Whitley Bay Pantomime Society taking place at the Playhouse Whitley Bay staring Sandra Laidler as ‘Robin Hood’, Kathryn Flinn as ‘Maid Marion’, Norman Dunn as the ‘Nurse’ with Rowland Maughan and Len Hayden as the two ‘Robbers’. The production also features future Hollywood star Andrea Riseborough performing as a dancer in her third year with the society. A darkened auditorium with music coming from the orchestra pit; a banner lit by a...

A production of ‘Babes in the Woods’ put on by the Whitley Bay Pantomime Society taking place at the Playhouse Whitley Bay staring Sandra Laidler as ‘Robin Hood’, Kathryn Flinn as ‘Maid Marion’, Norman Dunn as the ‘Nurse’ with Rowland Maughan and Len Hayden as the two ‘Robbers’. The production also features future Hollywood star Andrea Riseborough performing as a dancer in her third year with the society. A darkened auditorium with music coming from the orchestra pit; a banner lit by a spotlight hanging down in front of the curtain reads ‘Babes in the Wood’. The light goes out, the music becomes louder, and the curtain opens for the first of several song and dance routines in this production. The ‘Robbers’ appear on stage being lowered in a wicker basket and leads the audience in ‘We All Stand Together’. Following the interval, the ‘Robbers’ feature in a sequence in which one of them sits in an old pram and the other appears to be pushing him along a road at speed, footage of traffic projected onto the curtain in front of them. Following the final routine Rowland Maughan and Len Hayden return to the stage to speak with the audience and to acknowledge some of the groups or parties there that night. They then lead everybody in singing a children nursery rhyme. When they think the audience is singing along loud enough, they both head out into the darkened auditorium to encourage them. Back on stage they invite eleven birthday boys and girls to join them. After singing ‘Happy Birthday’ they are each interviewed by the pair before joining them in singing the nursery rhyme again. The children leave the stage and after another rendition of the nursery rhyme they both leave the stage. The curtain is raised once more for a final dance number after which the full cast come out to take a bow to the audience and to sing one final song. Rowland Maughan comes forward to thank some of those in the cast and behind the scenes for their work this year, bouquets are presented. Eric Scorer, President of the society comes onto the stage to address the audience about the production and to thank those involved. including Rowland Maughan who is presented with a gift. The cast sing the National Anthem and the curtain closes on the production.