panto

[bawheid]

just back from seeing 'Snow White' in panto at the SECC

it was brillint the wee dwarves were superb

shame about the one in the pavillion tho, wee Janette Krankie fell outa the beanstalk and is in hospital. (they were doing jack and the beanstalk.

well hope u are all well

take care

love lish x

[Johnny]

Gled ye enjoyed the panto Alisha. The guid wumman and I along wi wan o oor daughters an son-in-law an their three kids, and ma ither daughters two kids are gawn tae see Jack and the Beanstalk on Saturday in oor neighboring toon o Port Hope
We ur aw looking forward tae it an they ur forecasting snaw fur oor area. A great start tae the season.
Cheers Johnny.

[bawheid]

hope u enjoy it johnny!

[bawheid]

IT WAS AWFUL.. SHE'S IN TERRIBLE PAIN, THE BEANSTALK JUST COLLAPSED Dec 16 2004


WEE JIMMY KRANKIE HURT IN PLUNGE FROM 30FT PANTO BEANSTALK

By Karen Bale, Chris Marshall, Natalie Walker And Lachlan Mackinnon



WEE JIMMY Krankie was rushed to hospital yesterday after plunging from a giant panto beanstalk.

Jimmy - veteran performer Janette Tough, 57 - plummeted to the ground from a mechanised lift seconds after the curtain went down during a matinee performance of Jack And The Beanstalk.

The horrified cast at the Pavilion Theatre in Glasgow, including husband Ian, 57, watched in horror as 4ft 5in Janette passed out in a pool of blood from a head wound.

Co-star Gary Hollywood, 25, also fell from the £8000 mechanical device - which is 30ft tall.

Last night, a distraught Ian was at his wife's bedside in Glasgow Royal Infirmary.

He said: 'I didn't see what happened because I was on stage and it was a blackout, but I believe the beanstalk collapsed.

'It's awful and Janette is in terrible pain. They have X-rayed her back and her head and we are waiting on the results.

'She has a very bad pain in her back and has been given morphine.

'Janette is very confused and doesn't know where she is but I think that's probably concussion. At least she is conscious and can feel her arms and legs. Gary Hollywood is also in hospital undergoing tests.'

Janette and Gary, who play brothers Jack and Jimmy Trot in the panto, were being lowered back to the ground in the beanstalk's safety platform around 3pm, after the curtain fell on the show's first half.

Iain Gordon, general manager at the Pavilion, said last night: 'Nobody in the audience heard or saw anything but there was a loud thud on the stage.

'There were about eight people on stage at the time, including Ian.

'The cast ran to help the pair and helped them out of the cage which they were trapped in.

'Both of them were conscious but there was quite a lot of blood coming from Janette's head.She seemed very dazed.

'Gary did not seem so badly injured and I remember him saying, 'What about the show'?'

Theatre bosses have cancelled all performances until Monday at the earliest.

All 700 people in the audience at yesterday afternoon's show were given refunds.

They knew nothing about the accident until a member of theatre staff informed them 30 minutes after the curtain went down.

Holding back tears, Gordon, 51, added: 'The cast are just shattered. Our pantomime is like a family. All the actors here meet up the same three months every year and we have great, great fun together.

'But a Christmas without the Krankies is no Christmas at all.

'The Krankies are not only part of Glasgow, they are part of Scotland, and I'm sure they are in everyone's thoughts.'

He said: 'Obviously it's not good if this pantomime has to end this early. It is due to run until the end of January and obviously this is the busiest time of the year for us with many shows already sold out.

'But I can't stress enough that at the moment all we can think about is Janette and about her recovery. That is the most important thing of all.'

He said the equipment was only working to a third of its capacity during the show and that it was designed to go higher.

He refused to rule out the possibility of an understudy being brought in to replace Janette.

But he added: 'That might be tough, as Janette is probably irreplaceable.'

Last night, audience members told of their horror after the accident.

Isobel Molyneaux, 60, of Glasgow, was at the panto with her mum Margaret Stobbie, 81.

She said: 'Janette got on to the beanstalk and it started going up. Ian was looking at the bottom of it as the curtain was coming down.

'The next thing we heard was a loud bang. There was no scream or anything.

'Then we heard the ambulance and were told that the show wasn't going to go on because Janette had fallen and some of the cast were injured.'

Last night, a spokeswoman for North Glasgow University Hospitals said: 'We can confirm Janette Tough, of the Krankies, and Gary Hollywood are being treated at Glasgow Royal Infirmary.

'Both are stable and we will be able to provide a further update in the morning.'

The panto had to be cancelled on its opening night, November 25, after the beanstalk broke down.

The special telescopic device, which was imported from America, is used to transport Jack up to the Giant's castle.

But, after being delayed at customs, it then suffered a 'technical fault' on the first night.

A spokeswoman for Glasgow City Council said: 'Health and Safety officers were contacted this afternoon by the Pavilion regarding an incident. We are investigating.'

DOUBLE ACT HAS STOOD TEST OF TIME

THE Krankies are one of Scotland's best-loved stage acts.

The enduring husband and wife double act of Janette and Ian Tough has toured the world almost continuously for the last 40 years.

And the Pavilion Theatre, Glasgow, has been a central part of the pair's career.

Not only has it seen thousands of children and families revel in the antics of Janette's cheeky alter ego, Wee Jimmy Krankie, but it was also the venue where the couple first met. Janette, the daughter of an electrician from Queenzieburn near Kilsyth, met future husband Ian while working as a dancer at the theatre.

The pair, both 18, quickly formed a song and dance act, playing the clubs as Jinty and Tough.

They took the act abroad in the late 1960s, playing at American army bases across Europe and Asia before coming back home, marrying and settling in the north-east of England. There they continued to play the club circuit, developing their act and eventually being booked for the Royal Variety Performance in 1979.

It was that performance that led to their big TV break on the teatime BBC show Crackerjack.

As Jimmy, Janette helped turn the show into an institution, with viewing figures soaring from two-and-a-half million to 10 million.

The couple went on to front a number of kids' shows during the 1980s. They moved back into cabaret in the 1990s and starred in summer seasons at holiday resorts and pantomime in the winter.

More recently, Janette appeared on cult, gambling show Banzai.

She was also nominated for Best Comedy Moment of 2003 for her role as a drink-obsessed midwife on comedy show Absolutely Fabulous

[Johnny]

Ah hope everyone is OK an nae serious injuries, we don't need anythin like this especially at this time o the year. We wull say a wee prayer fur them
Oor trip tae "Jack" wis a loat happier. The weans loved it an we aw participated well, booeing an hissin the baddies an cheerin oan the goodies. Nuthin tae beat the "Panto" at Christmas eh!
Cheers Johnny

[bawheid]

yeah cannae beat a good panto at christmas eh?