10 Jan YF Panto 2025 – Mother Goose

The St Mary’s and St John’s Youth Fellowship Pantomime 2026

Mother Goose

It’s behind us!  For the first time ever we sold over 500 tickets for the Youth Fellowship pantomime this year!  Thank you to everyone who joined us as part of a sell out every night for four performances.   Huge enjoyment for both audience and cast, and important funding for the Youth Fellowship for 2026.  We all saw a new story pitting the Evil Demon Cyanide (Oliver Bastin), who tried convincing us that all humans are selfish and vain, pitted against Fairy Glitterball (Kitty Blake), who proved that when young and old combine in friendship, anything can be achieved.

The plot was played out as Mother Goose’s school (our Dame, played by Alfred Warne) was threatened by the dastardly Baron Scrofula (Harrison Jenner-Clarke) and his assistants, Gallstones and Gout, (played by M Barker and Alex Kent).  Glitterball, who was being assessed by the OfSpell inspectors Nigel and Nigel (Elsie Goodfellow and Poppy Lawton), introduced us to the exuberant Priscilla the goose (Katie Ellis), who laid a golden egg to pay the rent, seemingly resolving the plot in the first fifteen minutes.  But Cyanide had different ideas, and lured everyone off to the magical ‘Well of Youth’, showing that fragile humans would exchange their newfound wealth for the opportunity to reverse the aging process.

What followed was the Magical Well turning some of the cast into recalcitrant teenagers, and others into aged pensioners.  Cyanide seemed to have won, only for the combination of the wisdom of the old and the vigour of the young to join forces to defeat the evil demon.   Demon Cyanide was left to recognise his defeat, after a battle with school prefects Pip and Jo (Meg Tumilty and Abi Van der Westhuizen).

I’ve learned that humans are selfless and humble,

Faced with my spells they just say ‘mustn’t grumble’

We had a big cast and crew this year, with the characters above backed by no fewer than twenty further YF members both on stage and backstage, creating amazing singing and slick production.

The Youth Fellowship will be back to normal weekly 7pm to 9pm meetings in the Church Hall from this week, with fun and games, quizzes and sports for anyone aged between 12 and 18.  The success of the pantomime means we are also be planning our Summer holiday in August, when we will head off to a Youth Centre over the August Bank Holiday for a long weekend of activities and fun.  All funds raised by the pantomime help sustain the Youth Fellowship, and pay for the holiday.

Every year the Youth Fellowship pantomime serves to build confidence, resilience, and fellowship amongst a fantastic group of teenagers.  If you were one of this year’s record audience, then thank you for your support.  And if you weren’t, we’d love to see you next year!  If you want to know more about St Mary’s and St John’s Youth Fellowship – please get in touch at [email protected].