Gillian Haywood-Widdowson Interview: Meeting The Three Stooges
Title
Gillian Haywood-Widdowson Interview: Meeting The Three Stooges
Date
7 November 2018
Description
Oral history interview with former dancer and Pantomime performer Gillian Haywood-Widdowson.
What's the story?
Gillian Haywood-Widdowson was born in Manthorpe in Lincolnshire in 1933 and moved to Nottingham aged 2, living in Sneinton Dale.
As a child she contracted rheumatic fever and following advice from doctors her mother enrolled her in dancing classes to try and prevent further problems with her joints.
As a teenager she started dancing professionally and performed in Pantomimes at the Theatre Royal, most notably Dick Whittington in 1948, Jack and the Beanstalk in 1949 and Red Riding Hood in 1950.
For these shows Gillian was one of the star performers for Kirby’s Flying Ballet, which performed spectacular aerial routines.
Gillian continued to dance well into her 40s, performing cabaret work, as well as her second career of designing and making bridal veils. She still lives in Sneinton.
In this interview Gillian talks about how, whilst waiting in the Theatre Royal wings to go on stage as part of the flying ballet, stars from the Empire Theatre next door would often wander over for a chat. Here she recounts such a backstage meeting with American comedy trio, The Three Stooges:
Yes, well, you know when I was in the Flying Ballet, where I stood, he’d see me standing there. Well, from the Empire, the stars used to come and stand there and they used to chat to me because I was on my own. The others were going like that, you see, to come into their entrances, but I had a bigger space because of spinning and what I did, you see. And you know the one with the blond hair: I think he acted dumb, didn’t he? The Three Stooges. But he was talking to me and he came about four times and stood there looking at the pantomime. And the last time I saw him, he tapped me on the shoulder and I was just going to go on. He said “Great, kid, great - keep it up, keep it up, great.” They’d been watching, you see. And then other stars, I can’t remember all of them, used to come. Some were quiet, didn’t say anything. But they asked me how I was. But it was always being in that position in a harness … oh dear…
As a child she contracted rheumatic fever and following advice from doctors her mother enrolled her in dancing classes to try and prevent further problems with her joints.
As a teenager she started dancing professionally and performed in Pantomimes at the Theatre Royal, most notably Dick Whittington in 1948, Jack and the Beanstalk in 1949 and Red Riding Hood in 1950.
For these shows Gillian was one of the star performers for Kirby’s Flying Ballet, which performed spectacular aerial routines.
Gillian continued to dance well into her 40s, performing cabaret work, as well as her second career of designing and making bridal veils. She still lives in Sneinton.
In this interview Gillian talks about how, whilst waiting in the Theatre Royal wings to go on stage as part of the flying ballet, stars from the Empire Theatre next door would often wander over for a chat. Here she recounts such a backstage meeting with American comedy trio, The Three Stooges:
Yes, well, you know when I was in the Flying Ballet, where I stood, he’d see me standing there. Well, from the Empire, the stars used to come and stand there and they used to chat to me because I was on my own. The others were going like that, you see, to come into their entrances, but I had a bigger space because of spinning and what I did, you see. And you know the one with the blond hair: I think he acted dumb, didn’t he? The Three Stooges. But he was talking to me and he came about four times and stood there looking at the pantomime. And the last time I saw him, he tapped me on the shoulder and I was just going to go on. He said “Great, kid, great - keep it up, keep it up, great.” They’d been watching, you see. And then other stars, I can’t remember all of them, used to come. Some were quiet, didn’t say anything. But they asked me how I was. But it was always being in that position in a harness … oh dear…
Type
Oral interview
Location of item
Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall Nottingham
Rights
Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall Nottingham
Contributor
Interviewers: Valerie Rogers & Sally Smith
Transcriber: David Chilton
Transcriber: David Chilton
