The show business phrase 'the show must go on' was never more apt when describing one theatre company's efforts to entertain panto audiences in the wake of Covid restrictions.

‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’ at Theatr Colwyn, like other pantomime's across Wales was forced to close its run early in the wake of the Welsh Government Alert Level 2 measures, brought into force on Boxing Day which saw a requirement of 2 metre social distancing, and the rule of six applied to gatherings in theatres.

Bosses at Rhyl's Pavilion Theatre, whose production of Cinderella had proved a hit with audiences,'"after careful consideration" cancelled its panto performances from Boxing Day until New Year’s Eve, in a statement posted on their website claiming the "logistics of applying the rule of 6 and also adhering to social distancing within the auditorium is sadly not feasible."

The curtain came down on ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’ with 14 shows remaining, leaving audiences who had booked their tickets unable to enjoy their traditional theatrical festive fix.

But producers Magic Light Productions came up with the idea of moving the show online in a bid to continue entertaining audiences.

Jack-all productions had filmed the show earlier in the run, meaning that with the help of Venue Cymru / Theatr Colwyn technical team and online platform, the pantomime was streamed directly into people’s homes on New Year’s Eve!

Stuart Loughland, producer, of ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’, said: “It was a devastating blow that our production was cut short, however the safety of the audience, staff and company comes first. Everyone had worked so hard to make the show happen."

“We are so pleased that we could offer an alternative to the people who were due to see the show at Theatr Colwyn," said Producer Libby Loughland "We realise it isn’t the same as being in a theatre, however we are so grateful for the support we have received and the audience feedback has been incredible.”

"An advantage of showing it online was that people from all over the world got to see it," added Stuart. "The messages we’ve been getting from people all over the UK and beyond have been very touching,"

One online audience member, Bethan Evans said: "With a 14 week old baby, I thought we wouldn't all get to see the panto together this year. But we did from the comfort of our own home. A brilliant show as always, even baby Jac enjoyed watching it.”

Another, Jenny Clowser, said: "We loved it, thank you so much for providing it online. Looking forward to hopefully seeing you back in the theatre again next Christmas.”

“Thank you so much we loved it and had a great time watching we were made up we were able to watch it after our performance being cancelled," said panto fan Bianca Jayne Jackson.

Tickets for Magic Light Productions and Theatr Colwyn’s 2022 magical pantomime adventure ‘Robin Hood’ are set to go on sale any day now.