Cast undaunted by mishaps

Press, 12 September 1988, Page 7

Cast undaunted by mishaps

Gingerbread men are usually plucky, cheerful chaps but the series of illnesses that befell the cast of the Canterbury Children’s Theatre’s recent production would have discouraged most. From “The Gingerbread Man" show’s first rehearsal to the final performance on Saturday, the saga of the crunchy lad with the icing features seemed blighted. The young woman originally cast as the Gingerbread Man fell during a stilt-walking performance, breaking a shoulder and resulting in her departure from the show before the opening night. One of the cast played the entire season with 26 stitches in his back and the actress playing the Old Bag caught a viral infection which required her to wear a throat microphone to be heard. But the show must go on, and so when the Gingerbread Man, alias Lynley Baird, suffered a bout of tonsillitis and lost her voice, the show’s director, Penny Giddens, stood in for croaky cookie for two performances.

The bad luck was not over for the battered bunch of troupers: Miss Pepper, played by Freda Dibble, had foot problems that required injections.

Mrs Dibbie said she had played in about 20 shows in her theatrical career and had never been in a show with so many accidents.

“We were never daunted and were all the more determined to give of our best, and the audience were very, supportive,” she saijl.