Voices Editorial

IN the best traditions of the British pantomime, an audience of more than 250 Turkish and expat guests were given a right rollicking good laugh thanks to the brilliant performances of the Didim Glee Club.

Robyn Hid and a band of Merrie Men and Women trod the boards – many for the first time in front of an audience – to provide a wonderful pantomime last Friday night (Dec 6).

What was stunning was that the sets – well done to the behind-the-scenes crew! – were great; the music was instantly recognisable; the interaction with the audience was there, while Robyn (Zilpha Griffiths), Marion (Lynn Cole), Semolina (Jenny Scott), Friar Tuck (Bill West), a comical Much (Annette Jeynes) and the evil Sheriff of Tinkyham (Kevin Jeynes) all pulled it off with great aplomb.

The storyline, while filled with great clichés and the usual Christmas gags, also pulled the audience in with its locally derived in-jokes that were readily identifiable – Chatty Chicks, Golf Course, anyone?

If there were any missed lines, the cast professionally carried them and turned those very few moments into the pantomime itself. A very rare skill indeed as if it was all part of the act. And it was great to see all the cast supporting each other throughout.

And all, greatly lapped up by an appreciative audience who were full of laughs, boos, cheers and ‘o no he isn’t’s” throughout the night.

Short of a standing ovation, the audience – noticeably filled with a lot of new faces – were comfortably happy in the seats of the Didim Chamber of Commerce’s Nuru Kocabiyik Cultural Centre – opposite Tesco Kipa.

The cast of 27 have been rehearsing for the last three months – and all were drawn from the expat community. The script was tight and the costumes were made to fit a professional pantomime cast.

Indeed, the panto – set, cast, script, costumes and behind-scenes management – was worthy of taking centre stage at any provincial UK theatre where the panto season is now gearing up.

Praises to the panto director Lee McGowan, set designer David Spencer and writer Jenny Scott.

Everyone associated with the performance – front and back, and all those in between that made it happen – should have been able to have walked out that auditorium knowing it was a cracking job well done and set the audience on their way home in good spirits and chuckling to themselves.

Such was the demand for the tickets for the panto that Voices understands the entire allocation of 310 tickets was sold out in a matter of days. So to those that bought tickets and were unable to attend all we can say is that you missed a real treat!

Naturally having set the bar so high, the community will naturally be rooting for another pantomime of quality next year. But remember, 12 months is a long time in an expat community.

For now, we at Voices would like to pass on its heartfelt gratitude to the cast for their sterling performances.
Director Lee McGowan told Voices: “ I would just like to take this opportunity to thank the cast and the crew who made this pantomime the success it was and the audience for such an enthusiastic response.”

And the abiding hope is that the Didim Glee Club draws on such confidence and great feedback from the community and will go from strength to strength. Well done, one and all.

The proceeds raised from the night will go towards Help-in-Hands charity to provide aid to the disadvantaged and disabled in the Didim community.