Southend U3A

Writing for Fun

It Happened In The Gallery - Jeanette Rothwell

November 2014

Mrs Glen read in the newspaper that the Stoll Theatre was staging the pantomime 'Mother Goose'. She longed to take her daughter, Rosie, to see a pantomime, but it was 1944 and London was still in the grips of War. For the last few nights no air raid warnings had disturbed them so she decided to risk it. They wrapped up warmly as it was a bitterly cold December day, caught the bus to Kingsway where the theatre was situated, and entered the foyer looking for the Box Office. Mrs Glen could see from the tariff that, albeit the theatre wasn't full, she would only be able to afford to sit in the Gods, or, as it was the Stoll Theatre, it was called the Gallery.

She paid one shilling and sixpence for an adult and a child's seat and they began the climb up to the Gallery. No lifts in those days. Rosie was still full of excitement and skipped her way to the top. Mrs Glen arrived somewhat puffed but they found their seats and looked around. The stage was rather a long way away but very colourful.

Mrs Glen then opened the rather sparse piece of paper which served as the programme and had cost her a few pennies, but she was re-assured to read 'The management is not liable for the safety of the audience in any consequence arising from acts of war. In the event of an air-raid warning during the performance, the audience will be informed from the stage, and those who so desire will be conducted by attendants to the vaults under the theatre, or to other shelters of which there are four within a few yards of the theatre – but the show will go on.'

The overture began and Rosie's face was a mixture of excitement and awe as the extraordinary characters in Mother Goose appeared on stage. The acoustics were good, even without microphones, and Mrs Glen encouraged Rosie to join in the audience participation. She booed, shouted, 'Its behind you!' or 'Oh no it isn't,' etc. and just as the audience were urging the goose to lay a golden egg, above the shouting could be heard the awful wailing of an air raid warning.

A gentleman in a smart evening suit came on stage and asked the audiences upstairs in the Dress Circle and Gallery to make their way to the Stalls area. Everybody began to move to the exit so she grabbed Rosie and followed on, down all the many flights of stairs into the Stalls where everyone had gathered. They filled up any empty seats or stood around as the show carried on. Nobody left because they were all enjoying the performance so much.

There were plenty of noises coming from outside, explosions, fire engines, police cars, etc. and at one point the building shook which made everyone jump, but the show still carried on.

Just as it was ending, the 'all clear' sounded to everyone's relief and after lots of applause and curtain calls, they made their way into the foyer. Rosie looked puzzled when the huge goose took off her head to reveal an old actor. She had really thought it was a real goose!

Mrs Glen started to wrap a very animated Rosie in her coat and scarf asking her where she had put her gloves. Rosie didn't know and presumed she had left them in the gallery. With a groan of frustration, Mrs Glen asked the Doorman to keep an eye on Rosie while she went back up all those stairs to the gallery.

Once again she arrived puffing and blowing at the Gallery door. On opening, the area appeared to be in darkness, although there was a faint light coming from somewhere. She felt around the nearby wall to locate a light switch but when she pressed it down, nothing happened. By now her eyes were becoming accustomed to the gloom and she was amazed to see that the whole area was covered in what appeared to be snow, but when she looked closer, she realised it was white plaster. She looked up and saw, close to a rather ornate chandelier, a hole in the ceiling through which the moonlight was filtering, and there appeared to be a large lump of metal poking through.

Mrs Glen gingerly edged her way to where she and Rosie had been sitting, keeping her eye on the threatening ceiling hole, and spotted the gloves outlined in the white plaster. She picked them up, shaking them as she did so, and blew on them to free the plaster. She quickly made her way back towards the Gallery door but before reaching it, there was a loud cracking noise and another lump of plaster fell on to the seating area. She jumped with fright and tripped over a step. Some of the white powder landed on her hair and face. Her heart was thumping with fright. She scrambled up and made for the door as fast as she could as more plaster began to fall.

She swiftly left the Gallery and hurried down the stairs brushing away the clinging powder which was getting up her nose. In the foyer Rosie was happily watching some excited children chattering and laughing so Mrs Glen quickly told the Doorman what she had seen. He reacted straight away and hurried to tell his colleagues. She saw the Box Office lady reach for the telephone and several uniformed ushers rushed to the staircase leading to the Gallery.

Mrs Glen realised that there was nothing further she could do so she gave Rosie her gloves and they left to catch their bus home.

The following morning Mrs Glen read in the newspaper that during the air raid, an aircraft had exploded over London, shedding lumps of fuselage on many buildings, one of which had been the Stoll Theatre where the ceiling had been damaged and the pantomime had been forced to close.

She breathed a sigh of relief at the stroke of luck that they had still managed to see the show and had escaped from the trauma of what had happened in the Gallery.