The St Albans Mummers are hoping to be back performing in person this Boxing Day after last year's event was cancelled for the first time since 1967 - unless Covid restrictions change before then.
Their traditional mummers play features a less than serious look at life, death and resurrection, with several fierce battles involving St George and unlikely opponents, dubious cures unknown to science, excruciating poetry and awful jokes.
You can see them first at 11.30am outside the Museum + Gallery in St Peter's Street followed by appearances at the White Hart Hotel (12.20pm), West End of St Albans Cathedral (1pm), Ye Olde Fighting Cocks (1.50pm) and finishing at The Clock Tower at 2.40pm.
Part of the Mumming tradition is that the audience show their appreciation of the performance by throwing money into the hat. Over the last couple of years we have all been using far less cash so they are asking watchers to remember to bring some along to throw in, with donations made to local charities afterwards.
Although outdoor events are lower risk for spreading Covid, all the cast are all fully vaccinated and will take Lateral Flow Tests beforehand. If there’s a rapid rearrangement of roles on the day, that’ll be why!
Sorry, Father Christmas will not be handing out sweets or cake as a result, and please try to keep socially distanced from other households. There’s more room to spread out at the Museum and the West Door, rather less at the White Hart.
The Mummers first appeared in St Albans over half a century ago in 1967. A group of friends, mainly members of St Albans Morris Men, decided to put on a play every Boxing Day, and chose one modified from an earlier text by "Neggy" Wilson, a schoolmaster in thevillage of Croxley Green, about 50 years before.
A number of venues around the city centre were selected for the performances, and some have remained in use ever since, but others have changed as time moved on.
More details about the Mummers are available at www.stalbansmummers.org.uk and on Facebook.
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