Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Cheese Gromit

School Christmas play last night. Positively one of my favourite nights of the year. All tinsel wings and tea towels. My five-year-old son was an angel (glorious) while the seven-year-old was cast as a man who worked in a garden centre (of course). I was relieved to see the seven-year-old on stage at all. He hates performing, so started the day buried in the boot of my car refusing to get out. "I don't want to be in the play. I'm not going to be. I'm staying here." This scene in the school carpark involved various mothers walking by pretending not to notice. Luckily, the teaching staff are a lot more persuasive than I am.

The play began as a nativity complete with floppy-eared donkeys and short, resplendent kings, and then segued brilliantly into Wallace and Gromit (hence the garden centre. What can I say? You had to be there.) It featured scenes in the local cheesemakers, garden centre and second hand bookshop. At the finale, as the children sang out the nativity story, Wallace finished his cheese and biscuits and opened up a large cardboard book entitled "Life in the North by Y Eye". (I'd buy it.)

13 comments:

Gone said...

Looks like you had as much fun as us with a little less chaos.

Anonymous said...

An absolute cracker.

CJ xx

MikeH said...

Sounds delightful. The best part, of course, is the hiding in the car boot to avoid being in the play (wish I had thought of that when I was young).

Iota said...

Very funny. As Wallace is a Yorkshireman, you are even more northern than he.

(I'm not 100% sure he's from Yorkshire, mind, but it's the way he says "Wensleydale" that makes me think he is.)

occasional northerner said...

I am on holiday for a few days so went to ours today. It was great.

billatbingley said...

It's a wonderful time of year. As an ex teacher, and head teacher I can vouch for it!
By the way did you ever hear of the little boy cast as an Innkeeper, who had misbehaved so much that the teacher gave him a right dressing down before the Nativity Play. He vowed he would get his own back on her.
When Mary & Joseph knocked at the door of the Inn and asked "Is there any room at the Inn?" he smiled broadly and said "Yes - come on in!"

Lakeland Jo said...

My son has a friend in his class at school who always hated any type of drama or group activity. He once sprinted down the church dressed as a shepherd and off down the street, pursued by his dad, in the middle of the nativity performance. He was five.

NaomiCartwright said...

Aww I have really fond memories of school plays although I suspect they may have been less fun for my parents. Now though they always make me think of that scene in Love Actually with the nativity lobster...

Arcadian Advocate said...

Oh such memories of tea towels and tinsel.
Now they are grown we just have two tea towels with the all the first school childrens faces on (madde age 5 & 6) still in use, and the of course the memories!
AND I still have a tape of them singing [I think it is meant to be singing] carols, hidden of course or they'd try to hide my evidence. Mmmm just waiting for the appropriate moment to produce it..when ever that may be!!

Lune said...

Wow, amazing nativity! Do your kids go to a Steiner school per chance???

billatbingley said...

If you really want the "Low down" on nativity plays I can recommend a Mike Harding (Comedian) track entitled "Quasimodo meets the Virgin Mary"

You'll never view a Nativity Play in the same light again!

Please try and find it Judith, I'm sure it will appeal to your sense of humour! It's on an LP/Cassette Tape/CD called "Take your Fingers Off It!" (Number MOO1)

Penny Pincher said...

So how much did you have to donate to the school fund for such a plug of the 'Book of the Year'

Bluestocking Mum said...

School plays-so precious.
My son was 'pork chop' this year and also Mr Slack who turned into Santa Claus.

warm wishes