Oh how I had missed the thrill of being on stage! With the return of the Great British panto, it feels as if our great country is finally getting back on track. What else could be more symbolic now that the darkest days of Covid are behind us?
I was delighted to look out from the stage and see the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their magnificent children enjoying the performance on Friday evening.
They were joined by an audience of just under 1,000 – comprising key workers and their families – who were invited to a special preview show of Pantoland as a token of our deep gratitude to them.
During the interval, the utterly charming Royal couple came backstage to tell us how much they were enjoying the performance. I was practically bursting with pride.
The Duchess of Cambridge with Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte and Prince George attend a special pantomime performance at London’s Palladium Theatre
Prince William had us all chuckling when he said that his eldest, George, had innocently enquired why everyone was laughing at one of Julian Clary’s more risque jokes. He said it may take him a while to explain his way out of that one!
I can think of few moments in my career that have given me as much joy as putting on this show. At any time it is an honour to tread the boards at the world-famous London Palladium, but this year it feels extra-special. We are all in need of a bit of feelgood entertainment.
Nigel Havers takes the stage
I have to admit it was a little unusual to walk out and see a sea of masks, but these are the strange times we find ourselves in. There were also lots of empty seats because they are letting in just 1,000 people instead of the usual 2,500 to maintain social distancing.
But that didn’t seem to matter much on Friday. Everyone appeared in such high spirits – the audience were really with us, willing us on. It felt as if they laughed harder, clapped louder and really squeezed every ounce of joy from it. It was a magical night.
The show went off without a hitch, and I can scarcely believe that we started rehearsing only two weeks ago after we got the green light to put on this year’s show.
There have been long days working together, and practising standing two metres apart at all times. Some things are different – there’s no mixing in dressing rooms and no first-night party which is usually a very big night. Andrew Lloyd Webber would usually throw a huge bash, but this year I don’t mind too much. I’m just overjoyed to be back doing what I love.
My wonderful industry has been crippled by the pandemic. Ticket sales at UK theatres fell by 93 per cent and the losses run into many hundreds of millions of pounds. We are just about clinging on thanks to the Government’s £1.5 billion bailout for the arts, but sadly some venues may be lost for ever.
About 45 per cent of people working in theatres have been furloughed and large numbers of freelance workers have found themselves stacking supermarket shelves and sorting parcels as a means of getting by. That is why it was so important that we got this show on – and safely.
It’s not just showbusiness that is hit by Covid closures – it’s all the restaurants, pubs and shops in the West End, too, which are worth £10 billion a year to the economy. The knock-on effect is colossal.
At the height of the crisis, some doom-mongers dared to suggest that the West End would never reopen. What poppycock! The British appetite for stage shows is insatiable. Last year, the West End sold 15.3 million tickets – nearly one million more than New York’s Broadway theatres. It is simply the best entertainment in the world.
I’ve been involved in the panto at the Palladium for the past five years and I have to admit I didn’t think this one was going to happen this year.
But it just doesn’t feel like Christmas without panto. We have become a festive fixture and people turn up every year to see the show as part of their family tradition. We couldn’t let them down.
Getting to this point has been a monumental effort from a quite amazing team of people. Against all the odds they have pulled off something truly special.
Absolutely no corners have been cut – in fact, quite the opposite. I doff my cap to our incredible producer, Michael Harrison, and to Lord Lloyd-Webber who have made this happen, and assembled a fantastic cast.
It is an absolute joy to hear the incredible Elaine Paige and Beverley Knight sing, and great to have the boys from wonderful dance troupe Diversity back – all 12 of them who are in a Covid bubble together. To be back on stage with the great entertainer Gary Wilmot and magician Paul Zerdin is a joy to behold.
My good friend Julian Clary is on top form, as usual, and has even woven some topical jokes into his patter, usually at my expense.
He told me: ‘Nigel, it’s six metres apart.’ I said it’s only two but he replied: ‘For you Nigel, it’s at least six.’
For all these amazingly talented stars, and the brilliant people behind the scenes, getting the panto on this year felt very important. It was our way of reclaiming a semblance of normal life which has eluded us for so long in the depths of this crisis.
With the Covid vaccine being rolled out, it really feels now as if we have turned a corner. In life, as on the stage, the show must go on.