REVIEW: Aladdin, Gisburne Park Pop Up, Gisburn Auction Mart
IT’S the most wonderful time of the year.
Okay, so Christmas 2020 is not quite panning out the way we would have liked but the fabulous team at Gisburne Park Pop Up are pulling out all the stops to bring some festive cheer to Lancashire.
The Christmas event follows on from the success of the summer’s socially distanced festival which brought top DJs and family shows to the beautiful Ribble Valley countryside.
Along with pigs in blankets, tumblers of Baileys and rubbish cracker jokes, nothing quite says Christmas like the much-loved tradition of the pantomime.
As Lancashire continues to be in Tier 3 coronavirus restrictions, all indoor entertainment venues remain closed so the panto has been taken outside – oh yes it has!
Having never been to a drive-in show of any kind before, I did wonder how enjoyable it would be with us confined to our car.
Driving in and people were beeping their horns and flashing their lights before the show even started, more than ready for a laugh and distraction for a couple of hours.
The sound comes through your radio which means you get crystal clear audio which you can crank up as high as you like.
Now this might not be your usual set up but the producers did not scrimp on everything that makes a great panto.
There were cheeky jokes aplenty, laugh out loud moments, fantastic song and dance routines as the classic story of Aladdin unfolded on stage.
The actors were absolutely fantastic, they gave 110 per cent in what must be a challenging gig where people’s faces and reactions are replaced with car bonnets.
And then throw in some Lancashire winter weather — by the end of Friday night’s show the rain was pounding onto the stage.
But the stars of the show did not let the energy slip - outstanding.
Children popped up out of sunroofs, horns blared in appreciation and we left with big smiles on our faces.
Due to the success of the drive-in pantomime, it has been extended until Wednesday. Visit gisburneparkpopup.com/drivein for information.
Amazing job by everyone at @GisburnePPU tonight putting on an ace panto despite the tier 3 pouring rain! 👏👏👏 Here's my 2 yr old showing his appreciation! 😂 pic.twitter.com/PDiIj7Ktgc
— Melanie Disley (@meldisley1) December 18, 2020
Gisburne Park launch first charity drive-in carol concert
On Tuesday, Gisburne Park Pop Up will stage its first ever drive-in Christmas carol concert.
Organisers are offering tickets at a discounted rate of 50 per cent with all proceeds raised on the night going to support Riba Agriculture and St Mary's Church in Gisburn.
Robyn Isherwood, Director, Gisburne Park Pop Up, said: "We’re overwhelmed with the support and feedback from the drive-in pantomime and delighted to be able to offer families in tier three something that is a long-standing Christmas tradition in these challenging times.
"We’d like to thank the locals for their fantastic support and on Tuesday 22nd December they’ll receive a 50 per cent discount on tickets for our drive-in carol service in partnership with St Mary’s church in Gisburne with all proceeds raised on the night going to support Riba Agriculture and the church. It really is going to be a night to remember."
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