PREPARATIONS for Felixstowe's panto have been put into a right flap today after the star of the show went missing.

PREPARATIONS for Felixstowe's panto have been put into a right flap today after the star of the show went missing.

With just three weeks to curtain up, Mother Goose has not turned up for any rehearsals and the show's directors are wondering if she will arrive at all.

But today it was the Royal Mail who was getting the bird over the fact that a star is gone - because the goose is lost in the post.

The goose costume was sent first class from Cambridge to Felixstowe four weeks ago, but has still not arrived at the home of panto director Sylvia Lowe.

“I am beginning to get more and more frantic with each day that goes by,” said Mrs Lowe.

“Apparently, parcels have to go to Peterborough to be sorted and our only hope is that it is sitting there waiting to be dispatched.

“But if we don't hear something very soon, then we will have to have a major rethink - we will be in a right pickle if we don't have a Mother Goose for a show called Mother Goose.”

For many years, the Dennis Lowe Theatre Company used the same goose costume, but the group has not performed the panto for a few years and could not trace the company it was hired from.

“Goose costumes seem to be quite rare. We never had one of our own and always hired it in, so we had to find a new company,” said Mrs Lowe.

“Our old one was magnificent and we didn't know where we would find another so good until we discovered this theatre store in Cambridge which had a new goose costume that looked really good. Now we just need to know where it is!”

Yolanda Lockwood is due to play the role of the goose and has been rehearsing without her costume - she had hoped to be practising with it by now as such outfits are often difficult and cumbersome to get used to, and also doing publicity appearances and photo shoots for the show.

The production - the story of the goose that laid the golden eggs - opens at the Spa Pavilion on December 23 for a 13-show run.

It will be the 41st panto by the company founded by Sylvia's late husband Dennis.

No-one was available today from the Royal Mail to comment.

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