A Playhouse Family Christmas really starts the season off playing cat and mouse

By Colin Wilson

Christmas in the Cayman Islands doesn’t have any snow to show but it does have a playful cat and mouse!

Once upon a time the Cayman Drama Society welcomed Christmas in with their Annual Panto.

A new broom sweeps clean, and when the likes of Peter and Penny Phillips called it a day along with yours truly, another took over in the guise of Sue Howe who masterfully weaved a cat and mouse into the CDS Christmas cake to be eaten and not stirred.

For years now Sue has created, written, directed and starred in the annual “A Playhouse Family Christmas”. This magical Christmas treat has become so popular that within hours of the announcement of the dates for the production and the tickets were on sale, there was a rush to book them.

This year actually broke the record. All tickets were sold on that first day!

The last performance was last Sunday December 11th!

So why am I writing a review of it now – almost seven days later?

You will I believe, think that I didn’t see it performed. Well, almost true, because up until November 24th I had never seen the show.

I cannot really understand why not. I heard all the glowing reports of how good it was. And I really was going to see it but every time I tried to book tickets I was too late.

I cannot remember ever our pantos were sold out every night. We had to wait for the last weekend for that to happen.

After seeing the show, and the evening I saw it along with my wife, Joan, it was the pre-night for journalists and kids from one of the children schools. I can honestly say the show was a hoot and the children loved it. For me, it was over much too soon and like Oliver Twist, I wanted more. Much MORE!

The show opens with the cat and mouse doing what they do best -playing with one another – no fighting here, but just like Tom and Jerry, the cat getting the better of Jerry. Very funny dialogue.

Next comes the other ingredients, penguins, three kings, angels, Santa, a Disk Jockey, blind mice, and many more tasty treats, danced and sung to new and old tunes, all with a Christmas flavour.

I am in wonderment how Sue manages to write something different every year and tie all these characters ad songs together into this wonderful explosion of merry making.

A very well filled Christmas stocking, full of laughter and fun for all the family to enjoy.

When I think back to the Christmas offering at our local cinema “Violent Night” (still showing) – the title a ‘play on words – “Silent Night” – do you get it?. A simply appalling movie of bloody violence, foul language, torture, shootings, murders and sexual references, complete with an eight year old child and Santa Claus, with a sleigh, reindeers and Christmas presents, thank God for the Cayman Drama Society and their “A Playhouse Family Christmas”.

All images except where noted: Georgina Wilcox