Stourport: Cast seeks new venue after 'risqué' panto row

The cast and crew had worked for months preparing the show, said Mr Smith

A drama group is looking for a new venue for its "panto for grown-ups" after complaints led to it being cancelled following its first night.

Bewdley and The Beast 3 opened at The Civic in Stourport, Worcestershire, on Thursday.

The venue said it was cancelled due to an "unprecedented number of complaints".

Writer Paul Smith said these related to technical issues and content that was risqué "but not vulgar".

The 53-year-old, who also directed the show and starred as its dame, said the Bewdley Town Criers group had worked for months on the production and were shocked to be told the remaining two shows could not go ahead.

"We were devastated, we feel numbed," he said. "We are an amateur group ranging in age from 19 to 60 and we do it for the love of it.

"Some people who complained didn't see the show, it was based on hearsay."

However, The Civic said as a community venue it needed to listen to the public's comments.

Paul Smith, pictured as Mrs Palmer, said the humour was similar in nature to the Carry On films

In a statement, the venue said it had taken the "unusual and extraordinary step to cancel the remaining performances".

"This is due to the unprecedented number of complaints and requests for refunds that we have received in the last 12 hours," it said.

"We will be responding to each complaint individually, but it's going to take a while."

Venue bosses pledged to refund the full £15 price to all ticket holders, including those at Thursday's show.

Some people who were in the audience welcomed the move online, with one complaint calling the production "unprofessional" and others objecting to the content.

Mr Smith accepted the humour was "naughty" with a lot of innuendo but said it was "more like the Carry On films" in nature.

"We are not vulgar people, it was an adult panto," he said.

He believed they had been a victim of "cancel culture", without being given a fair chance.

"Social media absolutely slated us," he said.

Standing ovation

The group issued a statement saying it was untrue it had used swear words for "cheap laughs", adding: "If you have seen our previous productions, you will know the nature of our scripts as being risqué, but never too vulgar, and very rarely, profanity."

However, Mr Smith said he was aware some people were unhappy after a computer froze and they lost sound for up to 10 minutes. A ukulele was played to cover as they rebooted.

"We were dealing with the problem," he said. "Forty out of about 200 left and I'm sad about that."

They had wanted the opportunity to address people's concerns before the next show, he said.

He said he wanted the cast and crew to be able to complete the run.

Mr Smith added others said they enjoyed the show and last January's production at the smaller St George Hall in Bewdley received a standing ovation.

The group set up a fundraising page for its chosen charity Severn Area Rescue Association - known as Sara - which helped Mr Smith's family when their Bewdley home was flooded.

He said some audience members told him they would give their refunded ticket money to the charity.