IT IS probably a strange pastime for a horticultural society and growing plants is usually what first springs to mind, but the Long Marston and Puttenham group have unveiled home-grown talent of a different kind for its annual pantomime production - in fact it’s their 25th encounter.
This time, it is Cinderella written and produced by Neil Gurney who has a hair salon called Neil of Wingrave in Clarence Road, Leighton.
Never mind the fruit and veg, this group has a reputation spanning 25 years when its adventure started after Neil was first approached by the committee to create a pantomime as a fundraiser which he happily wrote and its never looked back.
Cinderella will be staged at Long Marston Village Hall on February 16, 17 and 18.
The longest standing actor is Chris Hodges, who teams up this year with Alan Munt to play the ugly sisters, Hernia and Ganglia. Alan does a lot of acting work as a member of the Chesham players and has appeared as an extra in such shows as Coronation Street.
Chris first started in the second production of “Dick Whittington”. Husband and wife Ian Nichols and Serena Williams play Buttons and Cinderella. Ian was once a DJ on radio Luxembourg.
Neil Gurney has a passion for musicals and has worked regularly with Pendley Theatre to stage West End musicals. He has directed productions of “The Sound of Music”, “Barnum”, “My Fair Lady”, and “The King and I” to name a few, regularly getting the original West End set shipped up from London. He has also written shows and reviews for Pendley including Eastenders meets Westenders and Pinocchio the Musical as well as directing the Vale G&S Society in a number of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. He also appeared alongside Sir Lawrence Olivier in the film “A Dance to the Music of Time”. He has also been Leighton Buzzard “Businessman of the Year” in 2011.
The pantomimes follow very traditional lines with plenty of audience participation, wickedly funny scripts and sweets for the kids!
Tickets (£6 Adult, £4 Senior Citizens, £3 Children) are available from Meads Farm Shop on the Lower Icknield Way, Wilstone, Wilstone Village Shop and the Queens Head Pub in Long Marston. They are also available by visiting the village hall on Sunday afternoons. Ticket enquiries 07855369515 or 07970636168.