ESSEX MEN IN GREEN TIGHTS

THE STEAM irons are out in homes in an Essex Village, pressing green tights for the man of the house!

Read into it what you will, but  Blackmore Players are getting ready for their pantomime.

The village, a few miles north of Brentwood, is noted for the excellence of its theatrical society and the ‘tights’ are essential as is the colour of green; historically Robin Hood would not be seen dead in anything else.

Running for five performances from Wednesday January 22 to Saturday January 25 with a matinee at 2.30pm, ticket sales for Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood, by Brian Herring, are already reaching record levels.

Celebrating 50 years, the Blackmore Players enjoy a well deserved reputation for fine productions and being a friendly society with talent.

The secret lies in being a top to bottom organisation where everyone is prepared to dig in and help. It is not unusual to see the lead character of one show, helping out with ticket sales on the door at the next.

This panto has taken the vast proportion of the society members, with a chorus that would have made Busby Berkeley go the same colour as the tights.

Skills have been well honed over the years as three productions a year is  normal; for example last year, 2013, the first production was specially written pantomime called Sheer Luck Holmes by Bob Heather and Cheryl Barrett, (pictured top) followed by a Bill Owen’s Match Girls, (pictured right)  a play written by the actor depicting the terrible conditions of the young women endured in a match factory in London’s east end, and another spooky special production written by Ian Lodge called Deathtrap.

Robin Hood and his Merry men are being finely tuned now and ready for the big ‘twang’ in January.

Tickets for Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood are available from the box office on 01277 200305.