Donald a trump card for Cinderella panto

Arts Week with Judy Murphy

When it comes to panto, there is nothing like a dame, and when it comes to dames, there is nobody like Peter Kennedy.

Belfast-born Peter is the man responsible for giving a new spin to this year’s offering from the Renmore Pantomime Society, which runs at the Town Hall Theatre from next Monday, December 29 to Sunday, January 11.

This production of Cinderella will retain all the important elements of the much-loved fairytale, but there will be some interesting contemporary twists too, says Peter. The colourful cast will include no less a character than King Donald Trumpet, who is seeking a bride for his son, Prince Charming.

The inspiration for King Trumpet came after American billionaire Donald Trump hit the headlines this year when he purchased Doonbeg Golf Club and Hotel in West Clare.

That gave Peter an opportunity to mix in some golfing situations to Cinderella that haven’t been seen in panto for a long time, he explains.

“I always try to think of something off the track from the normal story to give it a modern twist.”

When it comes to writing pantos, it’s all about balance, adds Peter, who has years of experience in this area. Before moving to Galway, the Abbeyknockmoy resident helped stage 15 pantos in his native Belfast.

In his work with the Renmore Society, he always tries to remain faithful to the core of the story being staged, because he is mindful that the group is playing to a new generation every year.

But it’s also important to alter a setting or introduce a new character or two in order to keep things fresh for parents, he explains.

“If you don’t get the parents, you won’t get the children.”

Peter was reared in the world of pantomime and musicals in Belfast, where his father was a member of the Ulster Operatic Company.

“I love the fact that panto is generally an introduction to theatre for children,” he says. “As somebody who has been involved in drama my whole life, I know how beneficial it is for them.

“And of course, I am basically a child myself,” he adds of his enduring involvement with the art form.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.