NEWS: The Show WILL Go On - In Poole at least! - Happy Ever After - Lighthouse, Poole.

Happy Ever After - a community Christmas show for all to see

The show will go on – in Poole at least.

As millions of people across southern England prepare for life under Tier 3 of coronavirus restrictions this Christmas, the producers of Happy Ever After at Lighthouse, Poole’s centre for the arts, are keeping the flag flying for live theatre into the New Year.

The hour-long extravaganza of music and song, which opens on Friday, has been created as a community Christmas treat for families by CBeebies’ favourite Chris Jarvis and follows the efforts of popular pantomime and children’s storybook characters as they help Cinderella get to her next ball and find her Happy Ever After.

“This is Christmas at Lighthouse with just a smidgen of pantomime,” says Chris, who directs the shows and appears as Buttons.

“We are acutely aware that people have had a rotten year, but we are making a show that people are eager to come to where they can be relaxed and comfortable enough to enjoy themselves. There’s no baddy to boo and hiss – it isn’t a panto – but we have lots of characters that everyone knows from panto like Cinderella, Jack, Genie, Fairy Godmother and I’ll be dressed as Buttons.”

Chris is co-producing Happy Ever After with international lighting designer James Smith and Lighthouse. The cast features CBBC presenters Naomi Wilkinson and Ed Petrie alongside fast rising musical theatre talents Harry Winchester, Lauren Azania, Jessica Rampling and Aaron Hunt; while the company includes in-demand choreographer Katherine Iles who works with the likes of Nicole Scherzinger, Keala Settle, Robbie Williams and Bette Midler.

The show has been made in little more than two months and all those involved jumped at the chance to get back on stage after a year in which so much work was lost to the coronavirus pandemic.

“I knew it was all about the happy endings,” says Katherine Iles, “but I had no idea of the scale of this show. It is epic in every sense – how they’ve packed it all into an hour I have no idea. It’s all bells and whistles.

“For me thought the task is always the same no matter what the job – to make it the absolute best it can possibly be. So, this job is no different to any other in that sense.”

With tickets priced at just £12.50 it means a family of four can see a top Christmas show for £50 - and there’s a free ice cream with every ticket.

The show has also been adapted for two relaxed performances with calmer lighting and no pyrotechnics so that families with children who have special educational needs can also experience the magic of live theatre.

“Every performance of the show is special – that’s what I love about live theatre!” says Chris. “Every audience is unique and responds differently, that’s a really good thing because it keeps the show fresh and funny. It also keeps us on our toes!”

Lighthouse Chief Executive Elspeth McBain adds: “We know how much our audiences love coming to Lighthouse all year round and especially at Christmas, so we wanted to put on a special show and make it accessible to as much of the community as possible.

“Now that we’ve received the news that Poole will remain in Tier 2, not only does this mean we can all come back together and have a great time at Christmas, but it gives our wonderful audiences a chance to support Lighthouse by buying a ticket for a great show that has been made entirely in Poole.”

Happy Ever After will open on Friday 18 December and run until Sunday 3 January.