Oh Yes He Is! Oh No He Isnt!!!!

A Memory of Newcastle upon Tyne.

(ANOTHER PANTO STORY)

It’s like some eureka moment from no ware! Out of the fog of time come more memories of the early days in theatre, this time yet another Panto story.
We were doing Aladdin in a large theatre in the north, packed to the last seat in the Gods with happy children and their mums and dads. Now long since gone like so many happy places you remember with fondness from younger days.

Now Ebenazer was played this year by an old Shakespearian actor who felt he was a bit above all this slapstick tomfoolery! But he made the best of it and soon got the audience shouting “Oh no he isn’t!” and “Oh yes he is!” and “Look behind you!” and hissing and booing for all they were worth! So he was well into his stride and forgetting that he was quite old he dashed around the stage like a mad hatter! Having a great time and enjoying every moment!

In the interval Old Ebenazer went back to his dressing room and tucked into a glass of stout and chips and just as he got up to go back he collapsed backstage and died in front of the cast. The stage manager said that the show should go on with the understudy for Ebenazer, it was agreed that you can’t let down about 2000 paying customers. So the Principal Girl dressed all in white was told to go through the curtains down to the footlights and explain what had happened.

I can still see it in my mind's eye even now as she said “Ladies and gentlemen and boys and girls I have some bad news to tell you! In the interval Ebenazer has had a heart attack and has died”. At this point the audience cried out as one “Oh no he isn’t!!!”. “Oh yes he is!” shouted back the little Principal Girl. “Oh no he isn’t!!” shouted the audience. So that was that then - the show went on! And old Ebenazer lives on in our memories for ever.

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