Column: David Bown, Harrogate Theatre​ - ​It really was a dream team

​Thank you to everyone that attended and supported the show in these difficult times.

We have been truly bowled over by the feedback, which has been without exception very positive.

Thank you to all the schools that have come along in huge numbers.

We know that it is a significant operation bringing large groups of children to and from your schools and then creating a safe environment for their enjoyment of the show.

In the last week of Aladdin there was also Bring Me Sunshine, a tribute to the work of Phil Lowe, who passed away in October 2021.

Phil had started working as a stage manager and assistant director at Harrogate Theatre just before I arrived in 2004.

When our previous director of pantomime Lennox Greaves decided to step down in 2007, he recommended Phil as his replacement.

The subsequent decision to appoint Phil as the new director for that year’s Snow White, was one of the best Harrogate Theatre has ever made and the start of an artistically rich period in the history of the theatre.

Phil followed it up with an equally brilliant Cinderella in 2008, which prompted me to enquire as to whether he’d be interested in co-writing the next pantomime, with me, as well as directing.

Aladdin in 2009 was a good solid first collaboration.

Charles Hutchinson wrote in the York Evening Press; “Bown and Lowe hit the ground running as impressively as the debutant Brawn Formula One team this season.”

As an F1 fan, Phil was delighted with that comment.

Bring Me Sunshine was an affectionate celebration of some of Phil’s work over the past 15 years and a fundraiser for Phil’s children and the British Heart Foundation.

Actors came from all over the country to perform songs and routines from over a decade of past shows.

It really was a dream team.

The evening was hosted by Tim Stedman and Howard Chadwick who did a magnificent job of keeping the show moving and linking the different parts.

The cast were outstanding, and every song was spectacular and moving in equal measure.

A huge thank you has to go to the creatives and all those behind the scenes who have worked tirelessly over a gruelling pantomime schedule.

Because Phil passed away so suddenly and unexpectedly, I don’t think I quite realised how much I had missed him until Aladdin came around this year.

Bring Me Sunshine allowed us to invite him back into the building once more in a meaningful manner for one big party.

You could feel his presence all around.

It was a spectacular evening and thank you to all those that contributed.