Berwick Kaler (born
1947) is a British actor most famous for playing the
dame in
York Theatre Royal's annual
pantomime, which he also writes and directs. He has been awarded the freedom of the city.
In 2002, Berwick Kaler received an
honorary degree from the
University of York. He was accompanied at the degree ceremony by rock singer
Suzi Quatro.
The 2006-07 pantomime,
Cinderella, was his 28th at the Theatre Royal.
Early years and TV work
Having grown up in "the slums of
Sunderland", Kaler left school at 15 to seek success on the
London stage. He got taken on at Dreamland in
Margate to learn his trade.
[1]
He has had TV roles in such shows as
The New Statesman,
Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and
Spender as well as steady theatre work. However, it is his role in the York pantomime that has won him the most acclaim.
The York Panto
Many pantomimes in recent years have relied heavily on celebrity guest stars (often soap stars or comedians attempting to revive a flagging career) and risque humour. Kaler's pantos reject this ("I want everyone to laugh at the same joke," he says)
[2] and hark back to a more traditional form of pantomime. Instead of guest stars, a regular cast of actors has been assembled who return (nearly) every year:
- Berwick Kaler has played the dame since 1978 - though he played an Ugly Sister in his first York panto (Cinderella) in 1977, and took two years off early on to appear in a West End play.
- Martin Barrass plays the dame's son (since 1985)
- David Leonard plays the villain (also since 1985; took a year out in the nineties)
- Suzy Cooper plays the Principal Girl, or occasionally the Principal Boy (since 1993, except the 2000-01 season)
- Joanne Heywood (seven pantos between 1985 and 2004) and Juliet Howland (six between 1995 and 2000) have each made multiple appearances as Principal Boy.
- There are normally one or two other characters, plus six chorus members/dancers (three women and three men). Many of the actors filling these roles have also made return appearances. Notable among them are Richard Kay (four pantomimes between 1999 and 2004) and Kaler's own nephew Vincent Gray whose roles have increased in size since his first panto in 2002-03.
A Postmodern Pantomime?
While in some ways a 'traditional' pantomime, the York production is in some ways very up-to-date, and Kaler has been credited with reviving and reinventing the genre. While nominally based around the established panto stories such as
Cinderella, the plots are often almost non-existent, and Kaler's
ad-libbing has been known to hold scenes up for several minutes.
Full use is made of modern technology. There is usually a pre-recorded
video sequence that complements the action in some way. In
The Lad Aladdin (2006) it took the form of a prologue featuring
Jimmy Nail as a fortune teller; in
Mother Goose (2004) there was a high speed chase around York; for
Jack and the Beanstalk (2003) it employed the use of
3D glasses while in
Dick Whittington (2001) it was a dream sequence. There is also generally a brief segment featuring
UV light and puppets.
Other running themes include:
- A spectacular entrance from the dame in a ridiculous costume.
- Kaler's catchphrases "Me babbies, me bairns!" and "I've been Humiliated!", delivered in his distinctive Mackem accent.
- A slapstick scene between Kaler and Barrass involving a water tank.
- Kaler and Barrass fooling around in a water tank, with gunge, custard pies and buckets of water being thrown about.
- Kaler's wig slipping off to reveal his distinctive bald pate.
- A singalong with Kaler and Barrass and the audience. Letters from the audience are also read out in this segment, and Wagon Wheels and Newcastle Brown Ale are distributed.
Recent Kaler Pantomimes
| Year |
Panto |
Dame (Kaler) |
Dame's son (Barrass) |
Villain (Leonard) | Principal Boy | Principal Girl |
Notes
|
| 2007-08 | Sinbad the Sailor | | | | | | Suzy Cooper will not appear this year as she is expecting a child |
| 2006-07 | Cinderella | Thelma | Louise* | Baron Stonebroke / Baroness Von Pratt | Anne Marie Lawton (Prince Charming) | Suzy Cooper (Cinderella) | *Barrass played the dame's sister not usual son role also his 21st York Pantomime. |
| 2005-06 | The Lad Aladdin | Widow Twankey | Wishee Washee | Abanazar | Suzy Cooper (Aladdin) | Elianne Byrne (Princess Su Doku) | |
| 2004-05 | Sleeping Beauty | The Queen Vic | Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha* | Evil Edna | Lucy Hunter-James (Watson) | Suzy Cooper (Beauty) | *Barrass played the dame's husband rather than his usual role as son. |
| 2003-04 | Mother Goose's Silver Jubilee | Mother Goose | Jack | D-Man | Joanne Heywood (Squire Knavesmire) | Suzy Cooper (Kelly) | Kaler's 25th York pantomime |
| 2002-03 | Babbies in the Wood | Ariadne Oddbod | Noddy Oddbod | Sheriff of Rottingham | Joanne Heywood (Robin Hood) | Suzy Cooper (Marian Oddbod) | |
| 2001-02 | Jack & the Beanstalk | Fanny Shufflebottom | Willy Shufflebottom | Egostein | Joanne Heywood (Jack Shufflebottom) | Suzy Cooper (Jill) | |
| 2000-01 | Dick Whittington | Cissy Sessay | Stanley Sessay | Ratemon | Joanne Heywood (Dick Whittington) | Deborah Winn (Alice)** | **Suzy Cooper was absent this year. |
| 1999-2000 | Old Mother Milly | Milly Hinnyhum | Hillary Hinnyhum | Bugman | Juliet Howland (Obiokidoki) | Suzy Cooper (Valerie Fitzackerley) | A new pantomime plot based around the millennium. |
| 1998-99 | Beauty & the Beast | Dilly Dumdum | Dickie Dumdum | Wolfgang Amalieus | Juliet Howland (Prince Percy) | Suzy Cooper (Beauty) | |
| 1997-98 | Aladdin | Widow Twankey | Wishee Washee | Abanazar | Suzy Cooper (Aladdin) | Juliet Howland (Princess Peekaboo) | |
| 1996-97 | Mother Goose | Mother Goose | Eli Goose | The Dreaded Lurgi | Juliet Howland (Bradley Bradshaw) | Suzy Cooper (Cindy Goose) | |
| 1995-96 | Cinderella | Bazooka | Buttons | * | Juliet Howland (Prince Charming) | Suzy Cooper (Cinderella) | * Leonard absent this year |
| 1994-95 | Sleeping Beauty | Geordina II, Queen of Acomb | Mordecai, Prince of Dales | Evil Eva / Rocula | Juliet Howland (Prince Stephen of Scarborough) | Suzy Cooper (Princess Beauty) | |
| 1993-94 | Jack and the Beanstalk | Haricot Hasbean | Willy Hasbean | Dr Evilstein | Karen-Jane Tomlinson (Jack Hasbean) | Suzy Cooper (Jilliana) | |
| 1992-93 | Babes in the Wood | Dame Nanny Nutter | Norma Nutter | The Sheriff of Nottingham | Julie Anne Blythen (Robin Hood) | Julia Howson (Maid Marion) | |
| 1991-92 | Dick Whittington | Dame Bertha Dogsbody | Jack Dogsbody | Ratman | Alison Reddihough (Dick Whittington) | Gemma Page (Alice Fitzwarren) | |
| 1990-91 | Mother Goose | Mother Girty Goose | Jesse Goose | Lucifer Dreddark | Trilby Harris (Henry Knavesmire) | Alison Reddihough (Cisse Goose) | |
External links
19th century - 20th century - 21st century
1910s 1920s 1930s - 1940s - 1950s 1960s 1970s
1944 1945 1946 - 1947 - 1948 1949 1950
Year 1947 (MCMXLVII
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A pantomime dame is a traditional character in British pantomime. It is a continuation of en travesti portrayal of female characters by male actors in drag. They are played either in an extremely camp style, often but not exclusively by actors well-known for their homosexuality or
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York Theatre Royal is a theatre in St. Leonard’s Place, York, England, which dates back to 1744. The theatre currently seats 847 people. This reduced capacity (from 863) takes into account removal of the mixing position seats and the stage side boxes which are normally not
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Pantomime (informally, panto), not to be confused with mime, refers to a theatrical genre, traditionally found in Great Britain, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Ireland, which is usually performed around the Christmas and New Year holiday season.
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Biography
Early life
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..... Click the link for more information. |240px|Sunderland (
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Canary Wharf is the centre of London's modern office towers
London shown within England
Coordinates:
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Constituent country England
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Margate
Margate beach
Margate ()
|240px|Margate (
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