Berwick and the crew are returning to the Grand Opera House York this December for jolly good pantomime.
Get ready to embark on a rollicking adventure as York’s beloved icon, Berwick Kaler reunites with his merry crew to deliver a unique twist on a timeless tale, Robinson Crusoe. Following the huge success of “Old Granny Goose” in 2022, the York legend returns to the limelight this year with a new jolly pantomime, “Robinson Crusoe and The Pirates of The River Ouse.”
Taking the stage at the Grand Opera House York, Berwick Kaler is set to dazzle audiences once again, joined by his trusted mateys: David Leonard, Suzy Cooper, Martin Barrass and AJ Powell. Together, they will unleash their rendition of the classic story of a sailor from York who is marooned on a desert island – but rest assured, he’s not alone.
We had the chance to sit down with the cast to find out what swashbuckling adventures we can expect from the all-anticipated 2023 Panto.
YLL: How is production and script coming along?
David: Yeah… we haven’t even started yet! We don’t have a script.
Berwick: Oh, why do we need a script?! Everybody says that. Nearly 50 years we’ve been going on. I remember one guy who was on the local telly and they were interviewing people coming out of the Pantomime and he said “Ee bah I think he gave us a story then, it threw everybody!”.
YLL: So when will rehearsals start?
David: Around mid-November, something like that.
YLL: So can we expect anything different in the Panto this year?
David: No. If we did something different nobody would come.
Berwick: It’s not worth coming!
Martin: Someone asked us back in April what would you say to someone who hasn’t seen the show, Berwick said don’t come
*jokingly giggling between them*
YLL: Who thought of incorporating the River Ouse into the production then?
David: Master, of course
Berwick: I think I blame the boss of UK Productions for this as we were chatting and I said I always like Pantos to have a unique twist, something a bit different, so I said something like Robinson Crusoe and he said yeah, let’s give it a pirates of the whatever I think. So it became Robinson Crusoe & the Pirates of the River Ouse. Only cause I was bored of him! Berwick jokingly laughs.
YLL: What was your inspiration for getting into Panto?
Berwick: Well he’s a lucky man, no one else would employ him. As he points to David Leonard joking and laughing.
Berwick: If I could have a really good cast around me then I could take it easy but I still have to work as if it was 45-50 years ago.
Suzy: It’s a funny thing in the UK. It’s a UK thing Panto as it doesn’t exist around the world and if you are a theatre actor predominantly, you come to the end of the year and there is nothing else to do normally other than Panto, as Panto is what happens right? And if you’re lucky enough to get into a Pantomime and you’re lucky enough to be able to sing a bit and dance a bit then it’s a lovely thing to do at Christmas time. Like a beloved thing, you know? A lot of actors don’t get the opportunity as they are not musical theatre trained so they kinda miss out. And Panto is a really big thing, you start auditions early in the year or by summer so it is something actors look forward to getting if they can get into it.
YLL: You can really tell you are like a family on stage together.
Suzy: We don’t take that lightly.
YLL: Have you ever had any major disagreements between yourselves then?
David: NOOOOO! Never a cross word! Never in all of these years, not a single cross word. It’s all love, love, love, love, love, love…
Martin: It’s just a sea of love.
*They all have a laugh*
YLL: So finally, last question. Are you all looking forward to getting back on stage in front of your audience?
Berwick: Nope. Jokingly giggles.
David: I think we are looking forward to earning money. He says as they have a laugh.
YLL: Thank you for taking the time to sit and chat with us, it was lovely to see you all again. We can’t wait to see you back on stage soon.
You can catch Robinson Crusoe & the Pirates of the River Ouse at the Grand Opera House York from 9 December 2023. To find out more information or to book tickets visit www.atgtickets.com/shows/robinson-crusoe-and-the-pirates-of-the-river-ouse/grand-opera-house-york.
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