CBeebies panto is back: what to expect from this year’s show.
The biggest event in the CBeebies calendar has finally been unveiled and it’s going to be SPECTACULAR! We had a quick chat with Jon, the Christmas Show’s producer to find out what you can expect from this year’s panto and you will not be disappointed….
Hi Jon! Can you tell us a bit about this year’s CBeebies Christmas Show?
This year’s Christmas panto production is CBeebies Alice in Wonderland! It was staged at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff on Saturday 7th November. It will be on TV at 5pm, Friday 18th December.
I’m the TV Producer of the show so for MANY months now have been busy planning with our awesome theatre team who have brought you CBeebies Christmas Carol and CBeebies Peter Pan in the last couple of years. I know we say this every year, but I really think it’s going to be more of a spectacle than ever!!
Why did you choose Alice in Wonderland and how have you interpreted the book for a CBeebies audience?
We’ve done a few shows now that have males in the lead role so we were keen to find a story with a female at the core, and given that 2015 is the 150th anniversary of the novel, Alice in Wonderland seemed the perfect fit. The novel is credited with being the first imaginative book for children and it revolutionised children’s literature so that’s worth both celebrating and bringing to our audience today.
Naturally we’ve had to adapt it for the CBeebies audience, including leaving some scenes and characters out from the original, but we’ve stuck true to the heart and I’m confident that those of you who love the novel will find much to love in our adaptation.
As the story is essentially a procession of characters one after the other, it lends itself nicely to us revealing our CBeebies cast members throughout the performance. Have a look at who's playing who:
Alice: Cat Sandion
Alice's Dad: Alex Winters
Alice's Mum: Katrina Bryan
Alice's older sister: Rebecca Keatley
White Rabbit: Robert the Robot
Blue Caterpillar: Ben Faulks
Duchess: Ella Kenion
Baby: Richard David-Caine
Cook: Joseph Elliott
Cheshire Cat: Phil Gallagher
Mad Hatter: Andy Day
March Hare: Chris Jarvis
Dormouse: Pui Fan Lee
Queen of Hearts: Justin Fletcher
Knave of Hearts: Gemma Hunt
Can you briefly explain the process of putting a show like this together?
While everyone was watching CBeebies Peter Pan being broadcast last Christmas, I was reading Alice in Wonderland and beginning to plan this year’s show! The process of producing the show starts with the story – thinking about how closely can we stay to the original as we add the layers of it being a stage show… with CBeebies cast members… for television! There are a lot of things to consider but, a bit like a painting (not that I’m a painter!), it starts with broad brushstrokes that become more detailed and refined as the months go by.
I had a clear sense fairly early on who to cast in which role – our presenters really lend themselves to the wonderfully colourful characters of Wonderland! Together with Clare Duffy and Jon Spooner the writers (Jon is also the Theatre Director) we discussed the overall storyline and went through several drafts of the script – planning all the set/costume/make-up designs in months thereafter.
What’s astounding about this production is that we only have 5 days of rehearsals before we stage the show. That’s a STAGGERING effort and shows just how well planned the whole theatre team are – and how brilliant our CBeebies presenters are at performing!
Which scenes do you think will be the most challenging?
In the last couple of years we’ve had maybe one major scene per show that needs particular planning. This year (so my Stage Manager said to me with a slightly ashen face last week) we seem to have something major to consider in EVERY scene! We really want this year to be a theatrical feast for the eyes so we’ve got some effects planned that we hope will wow you all. It’ll hopefully look beautiful and magical on TV, but it might have been rather complex for us to execute! Do bear that in mind as you watch it!
What do you hope parents and children will get out of watching the show?
I hope first and foremost that it surpasses expectations and that CBeebies Alice in Wonderland is a big Christmas treat for the whole family – a great story, well told, with laughter and catchy songs throughout. I hope that – as we know often happens – it’s a show that is watched time and time again throughout the year.
But there’s also a beautiful message we’re bringing out of the story that I hope will inspire parents and children – to have fun with your imagination, and for parents to really invest and partake in imaginary play with their children.
We know that families like to sit down and watch the Christmas Show each year, so this year we are really hoping to have lots of homes hosting their own viewing tea party. There will be crafts such as ears and top hats on the CBeebies website that will help families plan their party. We hope to see lots of photos of your makes and crafts from your viewing parties when the Panto is on TV.
Upload your CBeebies Panto Tea Party makes and craft photos to CBeebies Grown-ups Facebook or Twitter
How did you choose the audience for the show?
Due to massively high demand tickets were allocated via a ballot after extensive social media and website promotion. The ballot (which was open from 6th October 2015, 11am to 13th October 2015) is now unfortunately closed.
For all the latest CBeebies Alice in Wonderland behind the scene news and updates, join the chat on CBeebies Grown-ups Facebook and Twitter pages.
