Harrogate panto: Show will go on - despite injury!

The very last thing a key member of the team behind Harrogate Theatre's popular panto needs is for the old stage expression '˜break a leg' to come true.
Injured - Harrogate Theatre panto director Phil Lowe, left, with panto star Tim Stedman.Injured - Harrogate Theatre panto director Phil Lowe, left, with panto star Tim Stedman.
Injured - Harrogate Theatre panto director Phil Lowe, left, with panto star Tim Stedman.

That may be the case for the director of Jack and the Beanstalk, which was launched last week, but he is making sure the show does, indeed, go on.

He has even postponed an operation in hospital until the New Year to ensure the Harrogate panto does not disappoint thousands of the Harrogate district’s children and their parents.

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Phil Lowe said: “The run-up to panto is very busy and important time for the theatre and, especially, for me.“Having everything in place and ready for the first day is key to the rehearsal period. “Unfortunately ,my plan for a smooth start was slightly scuppered when the week before the cast arrived I snapped my meniscus and anterior cruciate ligament in my left knee.

“After a trip to A&E and a rather lovely leg brace fitted I started rehearsals broken but with the amazing team at Harrogate Theatre and an extra 10 minutes to get up and down the stairs we completed rehearsals and we got the show open.”

Phil Lowe, who is associate director overall of Harrogate Theatre, not only co-writes the panto each year, he is also its director.He says there was no way he was going to put his feet up.

He said: “Panto has played a massive part of my theatre career and like thousands of children it was my first experience of a theatrical live performance all those years ago.“I’ve been so proud of the past 13 years and all the amazing people on and off the stage that I’ve had the chance to work with.”