Whitby Apollo Players actor Martin celebrates 20 years as pantomime Dame
A retired police officer is about to celebrate his 20th year performing on stage as the pantomime dame with Whitby’s Apollo Players.
A production of Goldilocks and the Three Bears is running from Monday January 12 to Saturday January 17 at Whitby Pavilion, 7pm each night, with a 2pm Saturday matinee.
And for 64-year-old Martin McLachlan, it will be his 26th year with the Apollo Players as well as his 20th in the Dame role.
Martin, who lives in Hinderwell, said: “I used to do panto a long time ago and then joined the police force and was working shifts, and couldn’t really get the time to go to rehearsals.
“Once we moved to Hinderwell, my eldest daughter was old enough to be in the choir at the Hinderwell panto, I was working rural shifts and easier for me and started back into panto again.
“I did three years with the Hinderwell group, they closed down and I moved into Whitby.
“Everybody knew that I was in the police so wherever I can I put some little nod towards it.
“One year when the baddie in Aladdin took out a pipe and started smoking it, I took it off him and booked him.”
Martin is well-known for his pantomime roles having seen a generation of youngsters watching the post-Christmas performances, now old enough to take their own children to go and see it.
“I was once famously quoted as having said ‘you will never get me in a frock’ – they were doing Cinderella and absolutely desperate for a Dame, and I reluctantly said I would do it,” he said.
“The year before, I had played a very camp Queen’s Counsel and they were desperate for a second Dame and realised at that point it was great fun, the outrageous costumes and characters, and freedom to go off script.
“It’s very easy to throw yourself and also with some people it would throw them.
“Sometimes things happen that gives us that opportunity as well.
“Chris Wales’ piano stool collapsed in a performance.
“Last year, there was a kitchen scene with stuff on the table and the character accidentally dragged everything on to the floor.
“Things like that give you the opportunity to go off script.”
As well as being a master of on-stage charisma, Martin also turns his hand to making the props, such as the UV materials and puppets.
He learns his lines in a couple of days between Christmas and New Year and enjoys the camaraderie of the people he works with.
“It’s the excitement of it, I always get nervous about it and nervous anticipation but the Dame always has a song and interaction with the audience and that’s great as that’s when I settle down into it,” he said.
“You always get a reaction on the first song and that’s really nice to get and makes it worthwhile.”
He has many good memories of the Apollo Players’ performances and paid tribute to some of the stage veterans he has worked alongside.
“I’ve learnt everything I’ve learnt from David White, Keith Brice and Marcus Burnside, who plays a Dame in Pickering,” he said.
“It’s hard work but well worth doing and I’d encourage anyone to get involved either back stage or on stage.
“Another good thing is you can put in the innuendoes – I’m always very careful I don’t overstep the mark.
“The adults are laughing at one thing and the children are laughing at something completely different.”
All tickets for Monday and Tuesday performances cost £8, tickets for Wednesday to Saturday £12, under 14s £10.
Tickets from Whitby Pavilion box office in person, by calling 01947 824770 online via www.whitbypavilion.co.uk (fees apply).