Stage is set for Goldilocks and the 3 Bears in Breaffy Arena

THE waiting is almost over. Castlebar Pantomime’s 2016 production, Goldilocks and the 3 Bears, will hit the stage tonight (Thursday) at Breaffy Arena with the first of five shows, the final one being held on Sunday (January 10) at 2.45 p.m.

As a venue, Breaffy Arena is a new departure for Castlebar Pantomime and the tale is different too as it takes an old story and adds a fresh take on it. So for anyone not familiar with the story of Goldilocks, have no fear as Castlebar Pantomime’s story only resembles the original on a few minor points!

The story is set in Bedside and there is a Goldilocks character - the leading lady, in fact - and three bears, namely Fred, Paula and Izzy, but there are many, many other great characters too.

Among them are Goldilocks’s mother, Dame Edna Downdale, owner of the town’s largest emporium. And of course there are Goldilocks’s twin sisters, Sam and Ella. A couple of spoilt brats, if you’re asking.

Then there’s Padraic, the local milkman, who is always up for a laugh, except when he is around Dame Edna. God love the poor chap, but he is madly in love with her. However, his feelings are not reciprocated. Awwwwhhhhh.

Now, the three bears are no ordinary, average bears. Oh no! They run the local treacle mine. And it’s not just any treacle, it’s liquid gold.

All this might sound like the most idyllic, happy place, but there is evil lurking in Bedside too. And that evil is in the form of Baron Rowland Rockhard and his two dastardly minions, Doris and Boris. They want to get their hands on the treacle mine for themselves, and they will as long as Baron Rockhard can stop his stepson, Maximilian (the handsome leading man), from claiming his rightful inheritance and becoming Lord of Bedside.

So will good overcome evil? Well it might with the help of the good Fairy Featherlight looking over everyone. And let us not forget Sargent Syd and his officers - they will be on the case too.

So together with all the miners, shop assistants and town folk, you are going to meet some very entertaining characters on your trip through Bedside. And just maybe you might figure out the hidden moral to the tale of Goldilocks and the 3 Bears!

The show starts at 7.45 p.m. this evening and continues on Friday and Saturday nights at the same time, with matinees at 2.45 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday (the final show). You can purchase tickets in Castlebar Credit Union or online at www.castlebarpanto.com, or on the door at Breaffy Arena before each show. Adult tickets cost €15, children’s tickets are €12, and a family ticket (two adults and two children) is just €50 - that’s great value for great entertainment.