Jack and the Beanstalk is at the venue from December 13-January 5.
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00:00Good afternoon. My name is Phil Hewitt, Group Arts Editor at Sussex Newspapers.
00:06Now, the Horse Panto is always a bit special, isn't it? And coming back to direct at the
00:10Horse for the second time this year is Tom. Now, it's a great venue and a great team,
00:15isn't it? You love it there. Oh, yeah. I mean, I am delighted to be coming back because I think I
00:20had the best time last year and everybody at the venue, like everybody I met was just wonderful
00:26to be around and they made Christmas special. But more importantly, they made the show amazing.
00:31It's not just me. I'm directing the show, but it's a huge team effort. And, you know,
00:35every single person I work with wants to make this spectacular show. And we did. And I'm really
00:40excited to do that again. How much does that actually help you as a director to be thinking,
00:44I know that venue, I know what it's capable of? Oh, it's so important, not just to walk into a
00:49space and go, it feels comfortable, because it's important for everyone to be comfortable
00:53and knowing the limitations. But just going in and knowing we've got this amazing, this amazing
00:58theatre and these amazing people making it, I think is, you know, it's key to going in strong.
01:04It's key. I know I'm off to a good start before I even arrive. Absolutely. And you've got a super
01:08cast for this year, what you did last year, but this year is good too, isn't it? Oh, I'm excited.
01:13I mean, Steve McFadden, he's, I'm so excited to have Steve and I know the audiences in Crawley
01:19are going to adore him. And I mean, he's not just a national, he's a British TV legend. And you know,
01:26he's back at the horse because he's played there before. He's been there before. And I know he's
01:31excited to come back because we had that conversation when we did our launch day.
01:35So going back to a previous point of, he was excited to be back because he knows he had a
01:39great Christmas last time. And the dame that you have at the horse, well, he's pretty good, isn't
01:45it? Pretty good. Is Michael one of the best dames in the country? Yes. I mean, I don't need to say
01:51that. Everybody that's seen the show will already know that. But no, Michael is a dream. He's a
01:58legend. He's a legend. And he gets what we do. He really does. And I mean, this is his 12th year,
02:05I think. I think it's his 12th year here at the horse. But he's a genius. So having him in the
02:09room, he's always thinking, you can see him, he's always thinking, he's trying to find what's funny,
02:13what actually works. And as a director, well, he makes my job really easy, because he's literally
02:18buzzing with ideas. But that's the same for everyone in the cast. I mean, we've got a stellar
02:22cast of people that just got off the back of West End Jobs and National Tours. And it's just a very
02:26creative room. And that first day is always exciting, because everyone's kind of buzzing
02:32and they want to get everything in. And, you know, it's a really nice atmosphere.
02:36And you've directed a number of Pantos now, and you beautifully convey your enthusiasm for it.
02:41The fact is, Panto is in a decent position, isn't it? Obviously, the pandemic made us appreciate it
02:46more, things had to stop. But Panto has generally come back stronger, hasn't it?
02:51Absolutely. I mean, I think it bounced back tenfold. I think that first year, we were really
02:56anxious, what's it going to be like coming out of the pandemic? And the audience is kind of turned
03:00up in their masses, they showed us that they love Pantomime, and they want it to continue.
03:06And that makes us want to do better. I think, you know, we always strive to do a bigger,
03:10better, more spectacular show. And I think we succeed, and this year will be no different.
03:15But it's down to the audiences, because if they weren't as enthusiastic, you might, you might
03:19walk in and be a bit like, oh, okay, well, we're just here. But it's not like the audience, especially
03:24at the Hoth. I've never felt an atmosphere like that, like that. I remember that opening night
03:29so clearly, it was electric, and the audience were buzzing, they were so excited to get in there.
03:33And even before the show starts, it made me feel, oh, well, all of this is worth it. This is worth
03:38doing. When you when you get an atmosphere like that, do you attempt to analyse it? Or do you just
03:42think, thank goodness? I think there's a bit of a both. I mean, I do. I've never really sat down
03:49and go, well, why is this so electric? And this one isn't, I think? No, no, I suppose that I've
03:54not analysed it. Relieved, of course, but it feels exciting to be in amongst that. And just to feel,
04:02because also, I know what's coming, and they don't. And you hear people being like, what's going to
04:06happen this year? What's Michael going to do? Like, yeah, I think, you know, it is nice to be around.
04:13Well, really lovely to speak to you. And congratulations on the return to the Hoth.
04:17And happy Christmas.
04:19Looking forward to it. I'll see you soon.