The Ambridge Socialist
2nd February
Brecht comes to Ambridge
Berwick Kaler & Martin Barrass (Mick) in Dick Turpin Rides Again 2021
Berwick Kaler is Panto Royalty have starred in Pantos at the York Theatre Royal since the late 1970s until recently.
A co-star was Martin Barrass who appeared alongside Kaler for decades. Barrass is the actor who has played Mick in the Archers since 2022.
The Archers Editor Jeremy Howe was director at the York Theatre Royal in the 1980s.
The Ambridge Panto Week split opinion on the Archers chat boards. Some of the more perceptive commentary suggested that the Fourth Wall was being breached. That is the imaginary divide between actors and audience. Brechtian Theatre abolished it but this week the key Archers character was Berwick Kaler. He is indeed (see above) an actor but he was (largely) playing himself. A rare visit of the real world to Ambridge.
There were also other nods to Panto woven into the story. Susan and Tracy arguing over a lost (and found) shoe, a dropped custard pie and Vince Casey playing the villain, later redeemed..
The York Press has the story(on December 1st 2024…)
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