ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
OH YES IT IS!
OH YES THEY DID! MEET THE MALTHOUSE PANTO TEAM
FIVE YEARS, THREE BIG PERSONALITIES AND ONE UNFORGETTABLE MALTHOUSE PANTO! MEET THE TEAM WHO’ VE BEEN BRINGING THE SPARKLE, SILLINESS AND STANDING OVATIONS TO LIFE.
Five years ago, Gardner Hodges Entertainment and a fearless creative team at the Malthouse Theatre set out to reinvent the pantomime. They wanted more than a simple‘ he’ s behind you!’, dreaming instead of something richer with sharp-witted scripts, spectacular design, music that would have you humming for weeks and a sense of mischief that could charm both the smallest child and the most theatre-hardened grown-up.
Half a decade later, that dream has blossomed into a much-loved annual tradition. Each year, the Malthouse pantomime, produced with Gardner Hodges Entertainment’ s signature flair, draws sellout crowds, loyal fans and a few newcomers who leave wondering how they ever celebrated the festive season without it. Behind the laughter and glitter lies an extraordinary collaboration between four people whose imaginations keep the magic alive from the dressing room to the final bow.
In this special anniversary feature, we sit down with three-quarters of the panto power team: Joseph Gardner Hodges- producer and Dame Fanny for five glorious years; Jay Gardner Hodges- director and choreographer extraordinaire; and Gemma Wright- the theatre manager steering this co-production between Gardner Hodges Entertainment and the Malthouse.
Five years on, their energy is undimmed. Curtain up! Let’ s meet the team …
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