91Èȱ¬

The Radio Drama Department are recording their annual Christmas Pantomime - this year "Rumpelstiltskin and the Sleeping Beauty", an enjoyable mish-mash of traditional fairy tales, given a 21st century twist. But our harassed producer Graham finds the two days’ recording anything but enjoyable.

Briony (the Witch) berates the play’s author for the story’s inherent sexism, the Prince worries about waking the Sleeping Beauty with a kiss without asking her permission first, and Lizzie wonders why her character appears to behave so stupidly. Meantime, in the production room, Graham’s PA has gone sick, his writer’s beloved dog is ailing and Graham finds to his horror that he has been allocated a Technical Producer with whom he has had a brief, thoroughly unsatisfactory liaison after a drunken party.

What slowly becomes apparent is that true-life events have begun eerily to mirror some of the main themes in the pantomime.

Gordon House, the writer, was once Head of 91Èȱ¬ Radio Drama and Rumpelstiltskin’s Radio Drama Romance, starring Jon Strickland as the much put-upon Graham, is his affectionate tribute to the medium.

With songs composed by David Chilton and lyrics by Gordon House.

Cast:
THE PRODUCTION TEAM
Graham . . . . . Jon Strickland
Jeremy . . . . . Clive Hayward
Tashelle . . . . . Rakie Ayola
Jenny . . . . . Abbie Andrews

THE ACTORS
King/Royal Soothsayer/Neil . . . . . Neil Summerville
Witch/Queen/Briony . . . . . Tracy Wiles
Princess/Melissa/Lizzie . . . . . Lizzie Burder
Rumpelstiltskin/Prince Howard/Wil . . . . . Will Howard

Crew:
Technical Producer: Matt Bainbridge
Sound Designers: David Chilton and Lucinda Mason Brown
Production Co-ordinator: Sarah Tombling
Director: Gordon House

An Essential production for 91Èȱ¬ Radio 4

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