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Is it a hat? Oh yes it is!

Angela Kelly
3/12/2008

OUTRAGEOUS and colourful costumes that make up the fairytale world of pantomime star in a new, free exhibition at Stockport’s HatWorks.

Panto! is not only a glorious collection of fantastic headgear but also includes some costumes from much-loved shows.

Planning started some time ago, explained the museum’s collections access officer Stephanie Murfin. "We’d wanted to do this kind of exhibition for a while and arranged it to coincide with the Christmas period and all the pantos showing round and about," she said.

In fact, HatWorks is close to the Stockport Plaza – home to many popular pantos including this year’s Cinderella with former Emmerdale star Lisa Riley.

"We’ve been working with Ted Doan from the Plaza who was in contact with Extravaganza Productions Ltd from Lincolnshire which provide the costumes for pantos," Stephanie said.

"We also wanted to work alongside students from Stockport College as a development exercise, and they have made seven marvellous wigs with the help of Wigs Up North in Manchester."

The result is the eye-catching exhibition, which is set to delight and amuse visitors until the New Year.

"David Vickers and Richard Chandler from Extravaganza told us that the colours in the outfits need to be very bright so that everyone in the theatre can see them, but at the same time they still have to have detailed work in them," said Stephanie.

And there are certainly some memorable costumes and headwear among the exhibits.

There’s Abanazar’s turban from the Stockport Plaza panto Aladdin last Christmas, worn by Charles Lawson, who gained fame as Jim McDonald in Coronation Street. One of Widow Twanky’s glorious hats worn by Mark Chatterton in the Plaza’s 2001 Christmas production is there, along with the dainty lilac headdress worn by Vicki Michelle, alias Yvette in TV’s ’Allo, ‘Allo, from The Sleeping Beauty.

The headdress and gauntlets worn by Peter Armitage – Bill Webster in Coronation Street – in his incarnation as King Rat in Dick Whittington at the Middlesborough Theatre is included. And there’s the memorable Dame’s Sultan Palace headdress as worn by Ken Morley (alias the Street’s Reg Holdsworth) from Dick Whittington at the Plaza in 2005.

There’s even Mother Goose’s bonnet, worn by Trevor Lucas – Mr Lucas in BBC’s Are You Being Served? – at the Middlesborough Theatre’s 2002 panto.

Museum staff hope the exhibition will prove to be a great success. Added Stephanie: "Everyone loves panto so it should be a popular draw."

And for visitors there will also be a quiz with tickets to see Cinderella at the Plaza as prizes.

Panto! runs at HatWorks, Wellington Road South, Stockport, until February 8, 2009. For more details visit www.hatworks.org.uk or ring 0161 355 7770.