Official sponsorship

One of the reporters just came into my office. He offered me a Werthers Original. I just had to say yes. I am eating it as I write. I just have to write something. It's not really specific to this show, but very important to the group. Why? Here goes...
For our 2003 pantomime we did Jack & The Beanstalk, written/adapted and produced by box office. It was directed by producer geezer. But in addition to the normal cast of principal boy, principal girl, dame and panto animal etc there were two elderly ladies. Or rather scud and producer playing two elderly ladies. Ethel and Vera. As members of the audience. In a royal box. Passing comment on every scene during the set changes. And sometimes during the scenes. Especially on the last night. A bit like Waldorf and Stadler from the muppets.
It was an idea which worked very well and box office let us write our own script rather than give us dialogue. We had a chance to change and adapt things during the run. On the first Saturday England won the Rugby World Cup, so that became part of the act. We had stuff about everything from Saga holidays to Michael Jackson dangling a baby out of a hotel window. From Stanna stairlifts to George Bush. From Goldfish to beer. The NODA rep who reviewed the show loved it. Said it was the best thing about the show in fact. Oh NODA stands for National Operatic and Dramatic Association by the way.
On the last night there was a notorious incident involving sausages. But the most important item to come out of the whole exercise was the cult status of Werthers. We did the advert where the elderly man tells the story of how his grandpa gave him werthers when he was a little boy and he now gives them to his grandchildren. And then we threw them into the audience like normal panto sweets.
Loads of the kids there had never heard of them. It all changed in those two weeks. One young member of the audience, whose mum was playing the principal boy, became a total addict.
So the next year for Snow White & The Seven Dwarves, out they came again. Not from Ethel and Vera. They had retired. But from the Dame (played by rival). And then the following year in Treasure Island as well. And so last year secretary decided to do something about it. After all, Werthers are not cheap. Not when you throw them out by the handful. So she wrote to Germany to the company who make them. Bendicks, who also make the high class mints. She offered them the chance to become the official pantomime confectionary sponsors in return for sending us shed loads of Werthers. And they agreed. And they sent a huge box of them, by post, from Germany.
So just before the end of every performance of Dick Whittington, while the cast were getting changed into their walkdown wedding costumes, Father Christmas was dishing out piles of Werthers to the audience. And now it's official, it's never going to change. So to everyone in the group, Werthers only mean one thing. Of course I had to tell my reporter that. Poor bloke. All he did was come to offer me a sweet. I might have done my own legs in here. He probably won't bother in future, scared that I might have a story to tell about Wrigley's Extra. Or Revels. Or Jelly Babies. In fact, come to think of it, I do have a story about Revels....

Thought for the day:
'She's got a smile that it seems to me
Reminds me of childhood memories
Where everything
Was as fresh as the bright blue sky
Now and then when I see her face
She takes me away to that special place
And if I stared too long
I'd probably break down and cry
Sweet child o' mine'
Guns 'n' Roses