A familiar face on theatre stages and in village halls across the Burnham-On-Sea area is celebrating an impressive milestone this year as he marks 57 years of performing with Burnham Pantomime Society and other local drama groups.
Alastair Murray — who is well known not only for his decades of acting but also as Burnham and Highbridge Town Crier — has been a member of most of the area’s drama groups since the early 1970s.
He remains active at the West Huntspill Players, where he has performed since 1992, and is this week part of the cast in Burnham Pantomime Society’s Puss in Boots at The Princess Theatre.
Speaking about his early days, Alastair recalls the formation of the Burnham Pantomime Society in 1970, when around 55 people gathered at the Somerset & Dorset pub on Burnham-On-Sea High Street. Publican Charlie Thorne offered the group free use of the room for rehearsals.
He remembers producer Joan Plant approaching cast members one by one to assign roles for their first pantomime, Cinderella, staged in January 1970.
“She asked my mother and I if we would play the horse,” he says. “I rather looked down my nose at that and lightly protested, so Joan asked me to play one of the comic brokers’ men instead — a part I’ve played many times in pantomimes.”
The production was a true community effort. Scenery was painted on old bedsheets by Ann Popham and others, while costumes and props were created by cast members and helpers. Alastair still considers Cinderella his favourite of all the pantomimes staged over the years.
Although he hasn’t appeared in every show, he estimates he has acted in at least 47 productions, and in many others contributed behind the scenes — particularly painting scenery, a skill he began developing in 1973 under the guidance of local artist and potter Cora Stock.
He recalls the quirks of the old theatre layout before its 1995 remodel, when the stage and auditorium were upstairs but the dressing rooms were below. “There were times when we misjudged the call to appear on stage,” he says. “I can remember racing up the steep steps, panting to get on stage — mostly just in time!”
Over the decades, the group has seen many members come and go, including several who went on to careers in television or professional theatre. Among them was future film director Stephen Daldry, who appeared as Abanazar in one of the pantos as a “gawky, bespectacled teenager,” accompanied by his mother Cherry Daldry, remembered fondly for her comic fairy roles.
“Acting is a wonderful thing,” Alastair says. “It builds confidence, it’s a great hobby, and you meet so many really nice folk. The downside is learning lines — and the many rehearsals — but when opening night arrives, there’s nothing like the feeling of an appreciative audience clapping and cheering.”
He notes that only four long-standing members still live locally: Ann Cox, Joan Plant, Michael Hooper, and himself. Membership numbers have changed dramatically since the 1980s, when the group had around 200 members.
A highlight of his long time performing came in 2012 when he won a Rose Bowl Award for his role in the Players’ production of See How They Run.
Reflecting on more than half a century of performing, Alastair told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “If I had my time all over again, I would certainly include acting as one of my hobbies. So many happy memories, and meeting and being in shows with some very talented folks in the area. Wonderful indeed.”
