"Well! We'll Have To Do It Again Then, Won't We! WHOOPS!" Take 2!

Christmas is far and away my favourite holiday. I love everything about it, from the event that inspired it, hoping for a white one, to wrapping presents. But mostly I love having family and friends gathered, and sharing traditions.  {Ellen Hopkins}

After a lovely day off, I'm back into rehearsals today, and what a day to come back!  My favourite routines are being rehearsed!  We're spending the afternoon looking at the Ghost Gag and the Twelve Days of Christmas sketch!

I adore the slapstick involved with the Twelve Days and this year is no exception.  In fact we've pushed it even further to try and create as much chaos and mayhem as possible.  I'm sure I'll be falling all over the place and if PG has anything to do with it, being hit in numerous parts of the body with lots of different objects.  I'm certainly going to be a proud sponsor of Arnicare again this year!

We had got lots of extra (new) bits and pops written into the sequence in the script - but we decided to revert back to tradition on most of it, but make sure it's larger than life!  The custard pies are of course everyone's favourite bit, along with the water pistols, and it is I who shall be taking the brunt of those.  Most people complain about slosh but I would be upset if I wasn't on the receiving end!

We've also got a couple of additions in the ghost gag routine this year, whilst still sticking to Guildford traditions.  Those of you who visited last year may remember our "Ghostie Gungers" who squirted cream.  Because of the amount of slosh already in the show this year - they have been left out this time around, but there is a little more slapstick, to hopefully make the audience enjoy this Yvonne Arnaud favourite even more.

People see these two routines virtually every year.  The Ghost gag is always there and the Twelve Days quite frequent.  there would be an uproar if they were left out of the running - especially the ghost gag bench.  Children from 4 years old to 99 all join in with "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life!"  and would be outraged if it was absent.  Thankfully, it's protected as the actors would have a similar displeasure!

The ghost gag is as big a part of some families Christmas as the presents, turkey or Santa Claus himself!

JB x