New Season - New Challenges - New Blog!

"I was the only one there I never heard of." Barry Farber (1859 - 1930)

Welcome, welcome one and all to your "Brummie Buttons Blog!" For those that joined me last season (The Pongo Diaries) thanks for coming back, to new readers, thanks for joining us, and to both...Good to have you on board!

The blog last year proved so popular both at home and abroad,  I decided that I'd be silly not to pick up my virtual quill and share with you all the goings on from Pantoland again this year.  I enjoyed writing the blog anormously and was encouraged by the positive feedback. Hopefully this year I return a little more experienced with the blogging medium and hope it will prove as entertaining and as informative as it did previously.  I'm guessing we'll have lots more to talk about this year, following my "Promotion" which segues into news of this years Panto!! 

I am thrilled to be returning to the Yvonne Arnaud for my third pantomime, this year as lead comic, Buttons, in the theatres production of Cinderella!! It's a role I've hoped a dreamed of being able to take on since I first developed my interest in Panto all those years ago, back in the Birmingham Hippodrome.  With Brian Connely and Gary Wilmont as  shining examples of how funny this character can be... the bar is set quite high.  Then add the prestige of others famous Buttons, including Norman Wisdom, Ken Dodd, Billy Pearce, Bobby Davro, Biggins and more recently Stephen Mulhern and Justin Fletcher.. And suddenly the bar is at Olympic level.

But, it's time for a changing of the guard!  And for me, this season can't come round soon enough.

It was actually back in May that I heard the good news.  I'd been hoping I may get the chance to audition again this year, and hoped that last years performance had stood me in good stead.  Obviously, nothing can be taken for granted, so huge wait was anxious.  Following the long awaited phone call me and Sandy celebrated with fancy food and a bit of fizz! Well, the occasion called for it!! 

I still had to keep the news to myself for a while longer.  It wasn't until we had the photo shoot that I could announce the good news online and start some planning for the season; and that leads us to here, a few days before the press launch and less than nine weeks away from the start of rehearsals. 

Over the next few months, I hope you'll join me for an insight into the workings of a professional pantomime, with all the highs, lows and funny goings on, of both rehearsal and the run.  All done, in what I hope, will be a comical and informative way. 

So for now, welcome again' and here's to another fantastic year...!

JB-BB