It’s that time of year again! I have missed the Panto at The Belgrade Theatre Coventry so much and it’s finally back.

This time around we took our boys! I was so excited as this was the first time as a family we have gone together. Our boys are 6 and 9. L is super lucky and he went with his school and came back absolute loving it, so when he heard we were going again to the “Relaxed Performance” he was over the moon.

Relaxed Performance, if you are not familiar with how it works it’s honestly amazing for younger children, anyone with a disability or struggles with certain aspects when it comes to a theatre environment.

The lights come down halfway so it’s never fully dark, the Dame who is played by Ian Lauchlan who writes and directs the piece comes out and talks to the audience about what to expect throughout the show so there are no sudden surprises.

He talks through and demonstrates some of the effects, sounds and lighting reassuring those in the audience what to expect. Being a relaxed performance also means there isn’t as much pressure to keep in your seats or quiet. Everyone in the audience understands, and the doors at the back of the theatre are left open so you can come and go as needed. I know what it’s like with children who never sit still or are loud it can feel really daunting to expect them to “behave appropriately” but in this environment, you don’t feel judged at all.

Now our eldest E has additional needs and this was super helpful for us to have, it took the pressure off a lot. It was a perfect introduction to a show and we are much more likely to attend another now he knows what to expect and the place isn’t “new” anymore.

The show itself was 2hours 30mins with a short interval. The boys did amazingly, L was up dancing and E loved shouting out “hes behind you”

THE BEST PANTO TO DATE!

Every year Ian manages to top the last show, it was truly brilliant from start to finish, super engaging for the children they absolutely loved it. They have been speaking about it nonstop, singing the songs and talking about the characters. They loved Gaston and found him hilarious.

The dancing, songs and characters were all so well thought through. The set was incredible and so beautifully made. We loved it from start to finish. It was the husbands first ever pantomime and even he enjoyed it. We laughed out loud as it kept the children and us engaged all the way through.

It’s an experience I urge everyone to have, the boys are already talking about Jack and the beanstalk coming towards the end of 2022

You can book your tickets to see Jack and the Beanstalk here

Huge thank you as always to The Belgrade Theatre and to Ian Lauchlan for creating yet another fantastic experience.

Saff x

*Gifted experience in exchange for a review

Images Credit The Belgrade Theater Coventry