BIG FREEZE FOR KING ARTHUR

The Swansdike Non-professional Operatic Troupe (SNOT) will be presenting their own unique rendition of Rick Wakeman’s King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table On Ice this weekend at St Mark’s Hall.

The production has been six months in the making and is the brainchild of cast member Barry Toane.

“The staging posed us one or two logistical problems,” Mr Toane told the Observer recently. “The suits of armour we're using were borrowed from the permanent display at the Tower of London. They are extraordinarily cumbersome, particularly when worn by inexperienced skaters.

“Moreover, we found that the metal visors on our helmets kept falling shut in mid-song.

"We eventually solved this problem by propping them open with lolly sticks."

Finding sufficient ice presented a further difficulty, as the show was originally written as a spectacular for performance at the Empire Pool, Wembley.

“Obviously we had to scale things down a bit,” continued Mr Toane. “We use a children’s paddling pool filled with water, which we keep in a freezer unit at the Corpse-U-Like meat wholesalers on Mungo Park Road.

“The ice remains solid for around three to four hours - just long enough to bring it here, complete the performance and then rush it back into storage.

“Unfortunately due to the pool’s restricted area, only two performers can use it at a time. This can lead to a bit of congestion in the wings sometimes, what with everyone wearing armour and carrying lances.”

Mr Toane promises however that the troupe's performance of King Arthur will be like nothing Froghill has ever seen before.

"It will be like nothing Froghill has ever seen before," he said.

The shows will be held at 8pm this Friday (May 26) and Saturday (May 27), with doors open at 7.30. Tickets are £35 in advance and £40 on the door.

Contact Barry Toane on 446 2521.