In true tradition why not join Chater Community Choir at The Fox today, Christmas Eve, at 6.30pm, for “Carols Around The Tree”

A truly joyous way to start the Christmas Festivities.

See you there!

Forget dancing on ice. Forget Strictly. Last night The villagers of North Luffenham witnessed Pantomime on Ice! And what a night it was! From a garish pantomime dame to a wicked villain selling very dodgy stuff this pantomime did everything it set out to do.

The car park at The Fox was heaving with Christmas spirit filled revellers who embraced the whole evening and joined in with the cast in the general mayhem and revellry.

Yes, the weather was cold but the atmosphere was so full of warmth and fun and the feedback from everyone has been so generous. We have already turned our thoughts to next year and early suggestion are either a modern version of Scot of The Antarctic or possibly Frozen! It was also suggested that if the World Cup can be held in winter then maybe the pantomime can be staged in Summer! In this village anything can be made possible!

If anyone captured any of the evening on photos it would be great to see them and add them to the Village Archives and to the website. So if you have photos and would like to share them please Whatsapp them to me on 07774456788. Thank you in advance.

I really must say a massive thank you to the fantastic cast and associated team who made this all possible. I won’t single out any one member of the cast as everyone was just so brilliant. From our first get together to the actual performance the enthusiasm and general desire to put on something we and the village as a whole could be proud of just built and built. So a truly massive thank you to you all. Also thank you to KayBee Developments for the loan of the lights that made the Ice Rink we acted on so much more visible! A massive thanks to Liz Caffarelli for the wonderful make up. (Sue made me take it off before going to bed last night. Apparently waking up in the same make up you went out in the night before is not the done thing!) And then thank you to Graham Madgwick for providing the sound system and controlling the music so well. Thank you also to Lin for serving up lashings of hot mulled wine that kept the frost bite at bay and to the bar staff at The Fox for keeping the audience well topped up throughout!

My final thank you goes to Jason for everything he did to facilitate the pantomime at The Fox. He put in a tremendous amount of work for this pantomime both before and on the day to prepare the stage and generally create a great atmosphere for everyone on the night, and not least to break it all down afterwards.

To all involved then a huge thank you, and to all who came on the night a huge thank as well. We all loved putting this on for you and we all hope you loved it just as much!!

Have a great Christmas and remember to open a tin of beans with your Christmas dinner. Who knows, you may just get three wishes!

Friday 7.30pm at The Fox

‘j’ and The Beans Talk

So, after just 4 rehearsals, mostly in sub zero temperatures, our intrepid cast have finally reached the day of the one and only performance of the pantomime.

Tonight at 7.30 in the car park at The Fox you will be able to witness feats of thespian skills that could only be dreamed of by the likes of Sir Lawrence Olivier, Roger Moore and Dame Judi Dench. You just can’t afford to miss this one folks!

The performance will take place in the car park so please make sure you wrap up warm. We had hoped for a heat wave but it doesn’t look likely. The good news is there is no rain or snow forecast! To help keep you warm there will be copious amounts of mulled wine on sale as well as, of course, the wonderful array of beverages at the bar.

As mentioned before, there is no charge as such to see this extravaganza but there will be a bucket collection taken during and after the performance so please do bring lots of cash with you and fill those buckets!! The collection will, in a small part, help cover pantomime costs but more importantly it will go towards our two wonderful village organisations, The Good Companions and The Good Neighbour Scheme, both of whom do such sterling work for the people of this village. So please do show your appreciation and give generously to help these causes.

We, the cast can’t wait to put this pantomime on for you. Everybody has worked so hard to make this happen. What a great way to get Christmas really started. The pub will be open for Pre Theatre Drinks as usual so do get there early and bag yourself the best positions.

We will start at 7.30 prompt. See you there. Don’t miss it!!

Yesterday saw the intrepid cast of this theatrical behemoth retreat indoors for their latest rehearsal. All the cast are so mindful of the need to preserve their voices for “the big day.” The last thing we want is a cast who have all lost their voices (I’m told that in theatrical circles this is known as a pantomime hoarse!) They all promise to be in sparkling condition to perform for you all on Friday.

So, the insider information is that all is going far far better than the production team either expected or dared to hope. Costumes have started to appear, ideas have started to gel and the cast have actually started acting!! They actually now know where to be at certain times (whether they will be there or not is an eternal mystery only to be revealed on the night!). Music has made an appearance and some of the jokes have been, for obvious reasons, revised!

Our baddy has upped his game beyond all belief and is now the baddest baddy in baddydom, so plenty of boos when he appears please! And what about the beans?

So, Friday looms. Are you ready? It promises to be such a brilliant fun evening. See you all there!!

What a blockbuster we’ve got for you! Last night saw the intrepid cast of the Village Pantomime venture out for a full outside rehearsal in the car park at The Fox. In sub zero temperatures the incredibly brave thespians demonstrated just why they are going to be so good next Friday and just how dedicated they are to bringing you the theatre experience of the year. It is rumoured that Netflix are now interested in developing a six part mini series about the development of the production and an insight into the lives of the cast! With teeth chattering and limbs falling off they bravely stormed through a full rehearsal to the obvious bemusement of passers by. No one reported any signs of hypothermia or frost bite so this was a big positive! Such is the dedication of this hardy band of travelling players striving to put on what is going to be a fantastic event for you all next Friday. The goods news is the weather forecast for the 16th is dry and positively balmy compared to last night.

A couple more rehearsals before the event but then we will be ready to give to you this first ever Pantomime staged in the Village. We can’t wait and we hope you can’t wait either!

As you may have realised the Carol Service in the church is on the 22nd December and not, unless there has been a fundamental change in the laws of physics, on the 22nd November. It has been corrected on the website.

The North Luffenham Carol Service will take place in the Church on Thursday 22nd December at 6.00 pm.

Please do come to the village carol service in the church; due to an irreparable breakdown of heating in the church it was advertised in the Benefice Magazine as taking place on The Oval. However, there isn’t much heating on The Oval either and the church would protect from the elements.

There will be a warm welcome, dress up warmly, sing lustily and celebrate with words and music the birth of Jesus!

I have been asked by someone in the village whether there is a World Cup game on Friday 16th that might clash with our village pantomime. I have this morning contacted Alladiani Pantomimino, the Chair of the organisers of the World Cup, Fefa Fifa Fofa Fumfa, and he has confirmed that there are no World Cup matches on that night. He had been made aware of our pantomime and had deliberately arranged the schedule so as to avoid our pantomime! All remains on course for a great evening!

Oh my word! So the latest news is that there has now been a full run through rehearsal which has required several changes! We have had to take out the high flying trapeze act following the leading boy landing in a neighbour’s garden and not wishing to repeat this. Also removed is the fire juggling, but the cast member has reassured me that her hair will grow back by a week on Friday! It is certainly looking like a festive pot pourri of acting will be on display. I have been contacted by several main west end productions to see if we can contribute to their productions but the whole of the cast have remained steadfastly loyal to this Christmas extravaganza so it really is an event not to be missed!

I have been asked by several people if they can reserve seats, and, are all the private boxes taken already. The simple fact is there are no tickets on sale but you just need to turn up on the night and bag a front row seat or standing spot outside the pub at the back. Remember to wrap up warm. The pantomime will start somewhere between 7.30 and 7.45 and it really will be an event (to remember!)

There will be a voluntary collection taken to assist with costs of the pantomime with all proceeds after that going to help village groups so please do give generously on the night.

We are so looking forward to sharing a really fun night with you all so keep that date firmly in your diary. More updates as they happen.

P.S. If anyone sees a stray camel wandering around the village he escaped from our rehearsal as he was being transported back to Chester Zoo. Please let me know if you see him!

Yet another unmissable event in North Luffenham this year. What a way to kick off the Christmas Festivities. Friday 16th sees the first ever village pantomime in North Luffenham. ‘J’ and the Beans Talk!! The venue is the Grand Theatre, better known as The Fox.
A great evening is on the cards with true pantomime fun on show for everyone. Please make a date in your diary and start Christmas off in a way that only this village can. We have a dame, we have a leading boy, we have a love story, we have wheeling and dealing, and guess what? they all live happily ever after! You can’t afford to miss this one!
See you there. (Oh yes we will!)

Please come and give your views on development at St. George’s Barracks

Date: 22nd November from 5.30 pm until 8.00 pm in Edith Weston Village Hall

This drop in session is to consider proposals for the Officers’ Mess Site at Edith Weston as a stand alone site. However it has implications for any redevelopment of the rest of the St. George’s Barracks. That it is why it is important to give you views at this initial consultation