The curtain will sadly stay down on this year’s Brindley Theatre pantomime due to the uncertainty around the safe reopening of theatres.
Halton Borough Council has taken the difficult decision to postpone the annual pantomime at The Brindley Theatre in Runcorn for the first time in its history. Many theatres across the country have also cancelled their festive shows for 2020 due to the current uncertainty.
Work for the pantomime season begins around March and continues throughout the year to enable The Brindley team to bring audiences the magical pantomime experience they have come to expect and enjoy, and that the Council is proud to offer. Therefore, there is not enough time to prepare for this season’s show (Aladdin) as decisions surrounding theatre reopenings have not yet been made.
Cllr Phil Harris, the Council’s portfolio holder for The Brindley, says: “We are very disappointed that we’ve had to make this decision to postpone our annual pantomime due to the repercussions of COVID-19, but we must put first the health and welfare of our audiences, performers and staff.
“Months of essential planning and preparation go into creating our festive pantomime and we pride ourselves on the quality of the show that we deliver with New Pantomime Productions and the overall experience that we give our audiences. In the current climate, and without the assurance that we could fill our theatre and still keep everybody safe, it would also be financially irresponsible for us to proceed any further this year.
“We would like to thank our loyal customers for their understanding and support over the last few months, and we ask for you to stand with us once again through this, our first Christmas where we can’t be a part of your celebrations. We look forward to welcoming you all back to The Brindley Theatre for many more evenings of entertainment, fun and laughter, as soon as it is safe to do so.”
And so… although Aladdin will not be flying his magic carpet above The Brindley stage this year, there is some good news (oh yes there is!) because planning for 2021 is already underway.
In association with New Pantomime Productions, The Brindley is excited to bring you the Godmother of all pantomimes next year – Cinderella – and it promises to be the biggest and best ever!
If you have purchased Aladdin tickets for this year you will be offered an exchange of tickets for Cinderella, or a full refund. Please do not contact the Box Office, as The Brindley team will be contacting you soon with further details.
You can keep up to date with news on all Brindley performances on the Brindley Facebook page and the website www.thebrindley.org.uk
