STORMY weather has brought a new meaning to raising the roof at the Theatre Royal after those gale force winds caused up to £4,000 worth of damage.

The first bout of bad weather took off part of the theatre's roof, leaving a gaping hole which resulted in rain damage to the stage and most of the sets for the second of the theatre's two Christmas pantomimes; Snow White.

Fortunately, the damage was discovered on Boxing Day and theatre staff and actors, including Anna Karen, the popular TV actress and star of the first panto, Mother Goose, pitched in to help with the clean-up..

However, another bout of heavy rain and strong winds over New Year resulted in even more damage and new sets had to be ordered in double quick time to make sure the show was ready for its starting date this Tuesday, January 6.

Gordon Pleasant, director of Pantoworld, who are producing both pantos, told the Star earlier this week: "The show will almost certainly go on. Our customers are all expecting us to go ahead as usual. We haven't been able to start repair work on the roof yet as the weather is still inclement but the theatre is certainly usable and everyone who has tickets is in for a great show."

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