The Hot Pots: Christmas Panto

The HotPots theatre group

I went to meet the Hot Pots in Camden after I had seen a flyer for a Christmas panto performed entirely by actors aged over 60. I wanted to find out more so met up with cast member John Northeast and artistic director Arti Prashar to have a chat:

Listen to the HotPots now

I got there mid-rehearsal as the actors were practising a songs for their new pantomime Alice. In the tea-break I met some of the HotPots. Everyone was excited and nervous about the forthcoming performances in the first week of December.

Not that this will be their first big performance. Recently they performed a play about how older people cope with the rapidly changing technology‚ based on the HotPots members' own experiences.

John - member of the HotPots But as John (pictured) pointed out‚ the audience was roaring with laughter not because they were laughing at older people‚ but because EVERYONE experiences such joys as being kept in a call-centre queue.

This next performance is a political pantomime losely based on Alice in Wonderland. The main theme is looking at the reality of how pensioners survive on the £9.70 a day state pension - with much difficulty as it turns out.

Arti - artistic director But fear not - Arti (pictured) promises a fun-packed panto with all the trimmings - the goodies and the baddies‚ hurrays and boos and lots of laughter. Oh yes she does!

So if you want to get into the Christmas spirit come and watch the HotPots perform Alice in London on the 4th‚ 5th and 6th of December.

A flyer with full details can be downloaded from the bottom of the page or visit the SpareTyre website.

Best wishes‚

Evy - your Living Room editor

Alice: A political panto

Alice is on the brink of her own personal wonderland. As the show begins she’s at her retirement bash‚ tipsy with champagne and raring to retire and see the world‚ bus pass in hand.

But after a tumble down a most unusual rabbit hole and a conversation with a radio‚ she meets Davina McRabbit‚ the media monster who has other plans for Alice’s retirement.
After her adventures in the wacky bus queue with the Twirlies‚ Alice is deluged by leaflets from the Mad Hatter. She narrowly avoids eating Pensioner’s Soup‚ delicately flavoured with over-ripe socks. She gets caught up in the television game Happily Ever After‚ the Red Queen’s evil plot to reduce pensions so she can drink gin and tonic with Brad Pitt.