It’s nearly time for the Royston Town Pantomime, presented by local drama group CADS. 
The Little Mermaid opens in a few weeks but tickets have been selling at such a rate that some performances are already sold out! The opening matinee on Saturday 20th January, for example, sold out back in November! The show is by Hertfordshire writer Warren McWilliams, who was also responsible for the record-breaking 2023 panto Sleeping Beauty, and with nearly 50 members in the show, it’s one of the largest casts the group has assembled.
CADS has been lucky enough to find a new director for the show in the person of Duncan Moore. Duncan is relatively new to Royston – he and his wife, the acclaimed writer Kate Moore, moved here with their son just over a year ago – but has a wealth of experience in London and elsewhere directing amateur and fringe groups in everything from Shakespeare to Sweeney Todd! Duncan professes a lifelong love of pantomime. “I’ve always joked”, he says, “that if I were a famous actor, I would always do panto, as there are very few genres that connect with an audience so immediately and on such an honest level.” He adds, “The Little Mermaid promises to be an all-singing, all-dancing technical spectacular. From hilarious slapstick routines to romantic waltzes beneath the glitterball, topped off with fiery fights between goodies and baddies, this panto has it all… Oh yes it does!” Keeping things in the family, wife Kate has also contributed to the show by choreographing the dance routines. 
Musical director Louise Atkins adds, “Rehearsals are going well. We have a big cast for this show which includes quite a few new members who, along with some CADS regulars, promise you a fun show!”
The pantomime will be performed as usual at King James Academy Royston (Senior Site) during the last two weekends in January 2024, and once again this year the group is putting on an additional matinee performance so that more children (and grown-ups, too, of course!) can enjoy the show. Performance dates are Saturday 20th January (2pm and 7.30pm), Sunday 21st January (11.30am), Friday 26th January (7.30pm) and Saturday 27th January (2pm and 7.30pm). Tickets, which cost £15 full price and £10 for concessions (children, students and pensioners), are still available online for many of the performances, though you’ll need to act fast to make sure of your seats. Just follow the link from the group’s home page – or telephone the Box Office on 07856 599039
For more information on the panto or the group in general, please visit www.cadsroyston.org.uk
