Robert calls it a day

After 31 years, Robert Ramsey MBE is retiring from the Provincial Players with this year's show set to be his last.

The Times caught up with Robert amidst rehearsals for "Aladdin" to find out why this panto will be his last...of yes it will!

"I'm not getting any younger and I want to go out on a high," said the well-known postman.

"The panto needs new faces, new blood and new ideas and my well has run dry." Ironically, Robert's first show with Provincial Players was Aladdin.

"That was not deliberate that it's also this year's show," said Robert. "It just happened."

"I had been in Ballymoney Choral Society under the directorship of Paddy McCanny and that's where I met Sean Magee in our production of the Gypsy Princess where I played a king and a soldier.

"That was in 1979 and after meeting Sean, before I knew it, I was treading the boards of the Town Hall in Coleraine playing Wishy Washy in Aladdin with Seamus Reynolds.

"That was 31 years ago and there have been some great times and some great people.

"In those days the "professionals" on stage in the panto were Billy Bones, Willie Kane, Sean Magee, David McClarty and John Molloy whose style I really liked and from whom I learned a lot.

"Panto comic timing is a different kettle of fish from just standing there telling jokes." The group was in full swing producing pantomines each year to packed houses, rehearsing in an old portacabin behind the bus station in the town.

"We used to rehearse by candlelight and the mud outside the hut was awful," recalled Robert.

"I remember our pianist Billy Canning coming to the hut one night to put us over our songs.When he walked in, he had only one shoe on as he had lost the other in the mud!"

Disaster struck then when the hut, containing the group's costumes, lights, props and sound equipment, was burned to the ground by vandals.

" At that time too, members were drifting away to other groups so Sean Magee and I decided we had to take action to keep the Provincial Players going.

"And, like the Phoenix, the group rose quite literally from the ashes.

"The group has moved from pillar to post. We had a Portakabin in Kelly's coalyard for a while, then we took over the old boat house where the Water Margin is now, again working by candle light.We have used the cast members' front rooms and attics as well.

"Then, in 1993 the Town Hall was damaged in the Coleraine bomb and for the next two years we could not put on our show there and had to move to the Boys' Secondary School but we were back with a bang for Snow White in 1996."

By this stage, the entire Ramsey family was now involved with the Provincial Players - wife Hilary working as hall manager, in the

box office and as prompt and sons Paul and

The final curtain Steven playing various roles over the years on stage. Highlights from the 31 years on stage for Robert include the iconic Riverdance routine

and his double-act with Arny McCleary as Ugly Sisters in the style of AmyWinehouse.

" Arny and I have played baddie/goodie, goodie/baddie and goodie/goodie over the years and now know how each other is going to breathe on stage," he laughed. "We also had our double act.We got to the final of BBC's Go For It talent show from which we got our Equity cards."

Four people Robert mentions for special praise are Sean Magee, Noel McKeary, Anthea Ridley and Michelle McLeister.

"They have been a pleasure to work with and have made my job so much easier. They say if you want something done, do if yourself.

Well, no one can do everything and those people have been pivotal." He also mentioned his three choreographer - Leeanne Campbell, Lyndsay Platt and Natasha Calvin for their hard work and dedicated having risen up through the ranks of the pantomine since appearing as elves or fairies.

So, Robert is bringing the curtain down on his panto career but what does he plan to do with all his spare time? "Well, I will still be doing my after-dinner

speaking, cabaret and charity functions," he said.

" And I'ma grandfather now to five-monthold Robbie. "I can't sing there's only one Robert Ramsey any more as there's two of us now," he joked. Aladdin will be on stage at Coleraine Town Hall from January 19 - 29, 2011. Box office opens in the Diamond Centre on December 20th.Watch the Coleraine Times for full coverage of the spectacular pantomime.