IS it a bird? Is it a – oh wait –yes, it’s a bird!
Panto season is in full flow at the Tropical Butterfly House in North Anston and the juiciest roles have already been filled – by the resident birds!
“We’ve got such a talented set of winged friends and they’ve really thrown themselves into their parts in our pantomime version of Peter Pan,” said animal trainer Amanda Sharpe, who plays Tinkerbell.
In this unique Christmas production, Peter Pan has got bigger problems on his hands than Captain Hook.
In a move bound to ruffle a few feathers, his accident-prone sidekick Tinkerbell has managed to turn him into a pair of parrots!
Santa Claus comes to the rescue, but not before Captain Hook tries to take advantage of Peter Pan’s absence and destroy Christmas for good.
“The vital role of Peter Pan has been filled by our two Hahn’s Macaws, Bonnie and Alfie,” said Amanda.
“When Santa offers to help correct the mistake – in exchange for Tinkerbell’s help making Christmas toys – Bonnie and Alfie swoop down to deliver Santa’s toy list to her.”
When casting for the panto, each bird’s acting skills were considered carefully and chosen to reflect what each does naturally in the wild.
“Red-legged Seriemas are great at jumping, for instance,” explained 28-year-old Amanda.
“They can jump up to 10 feet, so we cast our own little red-legged Seriema in the role as the bird who jumps to try and retrieve Tinkerbell’s wand from Captain Hook’s evil clutches.
n For more information visit Butterfly House
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